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	pray_v	19	3	5.7234	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B02482	Christ alone exalted in the perfection and encouragements of the saints, notwithstanding sins and trials. Volume III. / Being laid open in severall sermons by the late spirituall and faithfull preacher of the Gospel, Tobias Crispe, D.D.	Crisp, Tobias, 1600-1643.; Cokayn, George, 1619-1691.; Pinnell, Henry.	1648 (1648)	Wing C6959; ESTC R233167	185,508	400

be are more able to plead a cause and can doe it better then some Sergeant at Law or some others that are called but yet because he is not called he must hold his tongue Beloved were Christ our Advocate a Novice and not graduated if he were not called to the Bar though he can plead never so excellently with God he could not be heard God will give a call before he heare So Christ is called Yet again when men are called to be Counsellors yet they cannot plead at every Bar. At the Common-pleas none plead but a Sergeant at law though many Counsellors be able Lawyers better gifted then some Sergeants yet this will not suffice he is not called to that Bar in speciall and therefore they must not come till they have the cal as the Sergeants have The Lord doth not bid us to seek his face without a Mediator but he that is the Advocate at the Court of Heaven is the Lord Jesus Christ that is one Man the Man Christ He that hath the best Rethoricke in the world to plead his cause must have him as a Sergeant to plead for him he cannot be admitted into this Court to plead for himself The Ministers of God are in some sort the pleaders of our cause yet they themselves must have this Sergeant to plead for them when they come to this tribunall of God and he alone is admitted to it And it is a great matter to know what kinde of Christ he is that is singled out and then you must know that if all the world offer this service unto you to plead your cause before God it would not avail if this Man Christ were not freely assign'd and called to plead your cause you are gone for ever nothing in the world can be heard but Christ Obj. You will say the servants of God are heard when they pray Answ I say Christ is onely heard when he Prayes you must pray in faith saith James Let him not think that he shall obtaine any thing at the hand of the Lord that wavers he must ask in faith that is he must ask in Christ for faith rests not upon it self but upon Christ It is Christ gets every thing for men it is not they themselves nor their prayers but it is Christ that prevails Now this Advocate Christ he speaks his minde and is admitted to speak his minde to the full But this is not all Christ is gifted and qualified that he may plead effectually There may be some unrighteous Judge in the world that may call men for favour as a father calls his son whether he be gifted and qualified or no that is not regarded This man for some by-respects shall come to the Bar but God is a righteous Judge a Judge that hath no partiality Christ indeed is his Son but Christ his Son is not called meerly for favour but as he calls his Son so he breeds his Son You know beloved that at the Inns of Court the Judges and primest Lawyers are teachers of Students and when they finde them to be proficients then they call them and admit them to the Bar. So Christ is the Student and the Father he doth instruct and tutor him he breeds him up if I may so speak after the manner of men to be fit for the Advocateship and then when he was fit he put him out unto it You shall find anointing as in the word Christ to import gifting of men when they are called out Aaron he was anointed he was gifted to make atonement and so of Saul when Samuel anointed him the Text saith God gave him another he gave him a regall heart and when hee made him a King he gave him the heart of a King he gave him a kingly spirit And this was that which Solomon prayed for when the crown was set upon his head that God would give him a wise and understanding heart to goe in and out before his great people and the Lord answered him and gave him wisdome so that there was none before him nor after him like unto him Even so God did with Christ he was anointed to be our Advocate and as he anointed him he gifted him for it as he saith I have laid help upon one that is mighty Christ is the person that must bring help and therefore his person shall be mighty In Psal 68. vers 18. you shall see there that God did gift Christ when he called him forth Thou art ascended up on high thou hast led captivity captive and received gifts for men Here the office of Christ is to deliver captives and for this purpose must be gifted if he be not qualified unto it he will fail in the execution of it The Apostle recites the same passage but above all that place in Isaiah 42. and the 2 3 4 5. verses doth manifestly cleer this matter Behold my servant saith the Lord mine elect in whom my soule delighteth hee shall not fail neither shall he be discouraged I will hold him with my right hand he shall not be dismayed saith the Text Here you see in the words how many expressions the Lord useth to shew how he qualifieth his Son Christ that so he may be fit to manage his businesse But further in the second place he is not only called Christ but he is Christ Jesus saith the Text and the title doth further illustrate the excellency of Christs qualifications to be an Advocate Here is Christ Jesus Jesus is a name importing the effectuall prevalency of Christ in his plea. I will not stand to cleer the signification of it by the Etymologie of the word but for a more sensible understanding of it the word is taken up and examined by the Holy Ghost himself in Mat 1. verse 21. when the Angel brings the tidings of his birth he gave his name They shall call his name Jesus for hee shall save his people from their sins Jesus is as much as to say a Saviour of people from sin Now see how admirably our Saviour is qualified hee hath not only Rethorick Law at his fingers ends as we say but he hath an admirable prevalency in his Rethorick There is not any cause that Christ yet took in hand that miscarried not any client that ever Christ pleaded for that at any time was cast but he that pleads is still the Saviour of his people This Jesus pleads so that he saves them from their sins It is admirable to consider let the sins produced against a person be never so many never so hainous let the witnesses come in and swear never so punctually and prove never so fully the crimes committed against such a Law yet such is the faculty of this Advocate with the Father that he is Jesus that hee stops the judgement the sentence cannot goe forth This Christ as he is Jesus is first the baile of mens persons till the day of payment You know the nature of bailing persons should go to prison presently

dismayednesse is prejudiciall to all religious duties first it is a damper of prayer Beloved you know that the life of prayer lies in faith If any man pray let him aske in faith saith St. James Faith is the wing of prayer and carries it up to heaven clip the wings of prayer and the motions of it must be slow Beloved you that are afraid doth feal and dismayednesse take hold of your spirits marke in such a fit what hearts you have to pray In brief there is this great prejudice in fear it makes all the duties that persons perform meerly selfish You know that a servant is very diligent for his master when no danger cometh but let the servant be in fear of any danger he will leave his masters businesse to shift for himselfe and seek for his own safety So consider it well whether your hearts are not for your selves in your services when there is a strong passion of feare in your spirits when a man is in prayer against some evill he fears is approaching unto him what prayer is it He is altogether for himselfe that he may be delivered from his present feare there is not a thought so far as this fear prevails that God may be glorified all the while but only of the evill that is upon him or that is like to fall upon him whereas the Believer should serve with sincerity and singlenesse of spirit he should do that which he doth as unto the Lord saith the Apostle Do not mistake it is not the spiritualnesse nor the fervency in the performance of duties that carries it duties are not expiatory helpers with Christ But I say when duties are performed as to the Lord and for the Lord and not to and for himself then are they right as services But all our hope that we must have in any condition must be only from the grace of God and all our performances that we do act must be to the Lord for what he hath done for us Therefore seeing it is the Lord himself that calls upon you and claps you on the back and bids you be not affraid take courage from the Lord and quit your selves like men In danger be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might There is this difference between Gods call and mans call to do any thing men call men to services and employments but cannot give them power ability to perform that which they are called unto but God calls and gives influence of his owne to make men doe such things as he calls them unto The Lord saith Feare not and in the voyce of the Lord there is life to frame the same temper in your hearts Christ he shall stand over your dead hearts as he did over the dead body of Lazarus saying Lazarus arise who immediatly arose the word of his mouth carried life into it and with it So it saith Fear not and immediately it takes away all feare from the spirit of that man he speaks inwardly unto other men may speak and speak their hearts out and never the better but when God calls upon you not to be afraid he is present in his Ordinances meerly for his owne sake to hold out this undauntednesse of spirit to you it is now with you if you imbrace it it is at your dores he wil make you of a strong and undaunted spirit he shal strengthen you as that Leviathan the Lord speakes of in the 41. of Job which esteemed Iron as straw and brasse as rotten wood because his scales were so strong know this that Believers are the Leviathans of God hee will so steel their spirits that they shall cut Iron as straw and Brasse as rotten wood The Lord is able to put such a spirit into you and he will make good his promise wherein he hath ingaged himselfe that his strength shall be made perfect in weaknesse therefore though you have said My strength faileth me 〈◊〉 yet the Lord shall be the strength of your hea●ts and your portion for ever thus you shall give that to the Lord that fearfull men rob him of that is the glory of his power of his faithfulnesse of the freenes and riches of his grace and care of his peoples welfare and Christ of his sufficiency wherein he hath promised plentifully to supply you with all spirituall strength and vigor that you shall run and not be weary that you shall walk and not be faint In a word there are a few civill respects that I will mention as motives against this fear I will but touch them First know fear especially dismayednesse puts a man besides his wits that while he is in such a passion he is to seek for common wayes of safety so that whereas men thinke that fear will h●lpe them to avoid danger commonly in amazednesse you shall have people stand still not able to stir or slip aside to save themselves Besides this fear is such a rack and torment that commonly those evills so much feared prove not so hurtfull nor evill to a person as the present fears and besides this feare many times it doth not only daunt the spirit of a man in himself but proves very dangerous to others you already have had sufficient experience not long since of the evill and mischiese this fear had like to have occasioned in the Army a thousand to one it was that the fear of some had not made all the rest to flye and it was a miracle of mercy that there should be so great a feare in the Army and the Army yet stand so to it feare at such a time is of a wonderfull spreading and dangerous nature fearfulnesse in one kindles fearfulnesse in many and so not only mens persons but also the Cause it selfe is hazarded but these are but low things in respect of the prejudice God himselfe sustains in the feare of men therefore for your encouragement consider what the Lord hath in store for you nothing he hath nothing he is or can give doth he think too good for you but he is willing to part with it to make you happy he parts not with his goods but with his Son for you nay beloved he parts with that which is more if any thing can be more then his Son that is himselfe Will you now deprive your selves of the sweet enjoyment of all these by your base and unbelieving and fearfull hearts Nay rather let us freely receive let us thankfully acknowledge and confidently rest upon our Fathers abundant mercy expressed in so many blessings but especially in the gift of his only Son given unto us that we might serve him without feare in holinesse and righteousnesse all the dayes of our life Luke 1.74 75. SERMON II. Isaiah 41. vers 10. Feare thou not for I am with thee be not dismayed for I am thy God I will strengthen thee yea I will help thee yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousnesse VPon the like occasion that

Believers indeed the sword is broken the sting is gone The sting of death is sinne the strength of sinne is the Law 1 Cor. 15. but thanks be to God saith the Apostle that hath given us the victory over sinne and death so that we may boldly say Oh death where is thy sting Oh grave where is thy victory If you be the Lords and the Lord be yours if you be Believers you may triumph as the Apostle doth Oh death where is thy sting It is gone nay Oh death saith the Lord in the Prophesie of Hosea I will be thy destruction I beseech you give not care either to Satan or to whatsoever instrument he hath that would possesse you that though Christ dyed for you and hath borne your sins himselfe upon the Crosse or upon the tree as the Apostle Peter expresseth yet those same sins will doe you hurt and prove a mischief and bane to you I say there cannot bee greater despite done nor affront offered unto Christ then to make the Believer conceive that he was not able to beare their sinnes nor the wrath of God sufficiently for them but that they must be wounded notwithstanding all that Christ hath done If Christ be hurt as much as sin can hurt him how can any man be hurt by it for whom Christ suffered If Christ upon the Crosse took the sting out of it and carried it to his own grave how commeth it to have a new sting or did Christ dye in vain If he took away the sting of one sin and not the sting of another there were need of another Christ it seems to take away that sting that is behind and so Christ hath not perfected for ever them that are sanctified I desire you to heare with patience this is the first ground of all your comfort in affliction that sin is gone for then all afflictions in the world cannot discomfort seeing all discomfort ariseth from sin which is the sting of affliction Hereupon the Apostle triumpheth Who can lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect It is God that justifieth who can condemne Contrariwise the soul is in the greatest bitternesse when sin remains and the sting of it is not taken away but when God is reconciled as he is to the faithfull for God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himselfe not imputing their trespasses unto them how then can finne do hurt when it is not to be imputed God doth use to reckon when he doth take payment If God doth not reckon with men he will never smite them with wrath as is the wrath so must be the smart and harm and hurt that person is to sustain in respect of the sins committed Chastise he doth indeed for speciall ends but the sin doth not at all hurt And though the Lord doth afflict that will do you no hurt neither afflictions are the physicke of God to purge and sanctifie the conversation Will a man thinke that is ready to dye of the stone or wind-cholick or stoppage in the fromach if a Physitian comes and gives him a bitter potion that he doth do him any hurt when he knoweth it is to recover his life and save it he knowes he dyes if he heals not the infirmity God useth no physick no chastisement and affliction but it shall worke for good so the Apostie expresseth it in Hebr. 12. No affliction for the present is joyous but grievous yet afterwards it bringeth forth the peaceable fruits of righteousnesse to them that are exercised therewith It bring●th forth the peaceable fruits of righteousnesse what hurt is there in all this But I must go on and come to that which I have more particularly to deliver to you and that is upon the consideration of Gods motives by which he doth attempt to prevail over the spirits of his people not to be afraid or dismayed come what can or may come you know God is best able to perswade God best knows what Rhetorick will take with his own people A man that hath had the breeding of a childe and so comes to observe the temper of it can better tell then any other which way to win him God hath the breeding of his own children nay God goeth further he hath the spirits of his children at his own beck and therefore can best tell which way to work upon their spirits and to beget that in them which he calls for of them The Lord would have them not to be afraid nor dismayed Let the Lord propose his way to bring them to this composednesse and fixednesse of spirit it is but presumption in any creature to conceive there may be better wayes to work upon the spirits of men then that which God prescribes And it is worth your observation to consider that when the Lord puts his people upon a composednesse and fixednesse of spirit he doth not say Fear not for you have fasted for you have prayed for you have forsaken your sins and denied your selves and walked holily with me and therefore because you have done this and that Feare you not The Lord doth not say so here he hath higher Propositions that he proposeth that have more excellent vertue to move his people He saith Feare not I am toy God I will helpe thee and uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousnesse The prop for the upholding of spirits against feare when evill cometh it is without a mans selfe in him that is a rock and unchangeable The Lord doth not say You change not therefore you are not consumed you continually proceeded in holines you waver not therefore you are not consumed but I am God and change not therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed I say therefore again If you would have setlednesse of spirit you must go out of your selves and fetch peace of spirit out of God himselfe and I dare be bold to say take all the sweetnesse and comfort of all the world of all the creatures mixed together extract the quintessence of their own excellencies all these together shall never settle a heart nor make it secure and free from fear but only this proposition that God is their God And by the fruit of this principle a poor tottering spirit is under-propped and under-set here with four pillars at every corner one as I may so say I am thy God I am with thee I will helpe thee I will uphold the with the right hand of my righteousnesse or rather there is one main principle and three subordinate supporters affixed unto the main principle for sometimes you shall see great weights laid upon some great pillar and for the better securing of that which is laid upon it you shall have some short pillars branching out from the main spread out wide and so upholding This present discourse seems to be such a main principle that is Gods being a God to such a people I am thy God this is the foundation this is the great pillar I am with thee I will