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	private_a	27	3	9.0883	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

that he had any need of Moses but to the end that he might put a speciall honour upon him Fourthly Againe in the last place to name no more this he doth for examples to us to teach us what we are to doe viz. to make use of such meanes and instruments as his Providence shall reach forth unto us For these Reasons amongst other God is pleased for the most part to make use of meanes and instruments in bringing his purposes to passe which yet if he pleased he could effect in a more immediate way onely by his word This he can doe And this sometimes he doth command immediate salvations and deliverances for his people doing the worke himselfe alone Thus did the eternall Sonne of God effect that great worke that great deliverance for his Elect their deliverance from Hell and Death this he did alone He by himselfe purged our sinnes And thus God sometimes worketh temporall salvations and deliverances for his people by himselfe alone shutting out the creature Even as Peter when he went about the raysing up of Dorcas to life againe he put out all that were in the chamber with him as the Prophet Elisha had done before him in raysing up the widdowes sonne Thus God sometimes in working a Resurrection as it were for his Church and people in working some great worke some eminent deliverance for them he shuts the creature out of doores doing the worke himselfe alone without their helpe or the helpe of any instruments Thus did hee worke this deliverance here for his people Israel at the Red Sea not making any use of them otherwise then as spectators as lookers on Stand still and see saith Moses See what God will doe for you without you Great are the things which God doth for his people without them He Made them without them he Redeemed them without them In both which they were meere Patients not contributing anything either to their owne Creation or Redemption no more doe they to the first act of their Conversion wherein they are meere patients onely suffering God to work upon them themselves in the meane time by their naturall power working nothing unlesse it be to hinder the worke of Grace what they can Such they are in the first act of Conversion True indeed afterwards being wrought upon they worke Being quickned and renewed by Grace now they co-operate and worke together with it Being quickned by prevenient grace they now co-operate with subsequent grace but in the first act they were meere Patients A truth methinkes not unfitly illustrated and shadowed out by the manner of Gods dealing with his people Israel here in bringing them to Canaan Being once passed through the Red Sea then they march and fight and make their way by the Sword through the midst of their Enemies but before that they stand still being in the first worke which God here wrought for them meere Patients Thus the Lords people being once translated from death to life being once regenerated and renewed then they move and worke fighting against sinne they make their way towards the Heavenly Canaan {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} working out their owne salvation But before that when the Grace of God first meeteth with them it findeth them standing still like the Labourers or rather Loiterers in the Gospel that stood still stood idle in the market-place {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} doing nothing nay that which is more having neither will nor power to doe anything for themselves but meerely in a passive capacitie onely suffering God to worke for them in them and upon them These workes God worketh for his people without them And to returne to the case in the Text after the same manner sometimes he worketh temporall deliverances for them making little or no use of them or their indeavours in the effecting of them Which he doth if you will know the Reason of it chiefly that by this meanes he might impropriate all the glory to himselfe It is the Reason which the Apostle giveth why God maketh choice of weake and despecable meanes to effect and bring to passe great matters by the Foolish things of the world to confound the wise The weake things of the world to confound the mightie Base and despicable things yea things which were not to bring to nought things that are This hee doth saith the Apostle to the end That no flesh should glory in his presence Should God alwayes take the creature along with him and make it a sharer or partner in the worke happily it would be ready to steppe in and pretend to a share in the Honour but being sometimes shut out from the one it is thereby excluded from the other that according as it is written He that glorieth may glory in the Lord This it was that God had an eye to here in the Text His designe was to get himselfe Honour Honour upon Pharoah and his Hoast in their destruction So you have it in the fourth verse of the chapt. repeated againe vers. 17. I will be honoured upon Pharoah and upon on all his Hoast c. Honour upon his people in their salvation and deliverance And to this end he here taketh the worke into his owne hand bidding the people stand still and let him alone that so all the honour of that dayes service might redound wholly unto himselfe that he might Triumph Gloriously as you have it in the first verse of the following chapt. Thus you see the truth of the point and with all some Reason for it God can worke salvation for his people without them which sometime he doth and that for the impropriating of all the glory That which remaines is the Application which I shall direct in the first place following the streame of the Text by way of incouragement Can God worke immediate salvations for his people saving and delivering them by his owne hand without their helpe or the helpe of whatever instruments Let this meditation serve to beare up the hearts and spirits of the Lords people in the midst of all their straits and exigents whether private or publique when dangers and difficulties surround and incompasse them and meanes and instruments such as they looked at seeme to faile them so as in the eye of reason their case seemeth for lorne and desperate yet even now let them stand still not casting away their hope and confidence knowing that God is not tyed to meanes or instruments He can worke by them and he can worke without them And then is his time to worke when meanes and instruments faile Vbi humanum deficit ibi incipit divinum auxilium Where humane helpe ends there divine begins where the creature leaves there the Creator takes When my father and my mother forsake me then the Lord will take me up saith the Psalmist Though they cast me out yet the Lord will gather me The Lord gathereth