Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	abide_v	able_a	earth_n	23	3	5.0288	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90691	The tempestuous soul calmed by Jesus Christ; being an extract of several sermons, / preached by Anthony Palmer, pastor of the church at Bourton on the Water in Gloucester-shire.	Palmer, Anthony, 1618?-1679.	1653 (1653)	Wing P219; Thomason E1496_3; ESTC R208632	45,978	112

when we come to see him we may be pierced and be in bitternesse for him Yea 3. That a Soul may truly and in earnest feel and discern its need of such a Jesus to bear and deliver from that wrath When such a glimpse of God upon it such a shaking such an abasement in its own vilenesse such a tasting of wrath then a Christ to quiet and calm a desolate soul is worth looking after indeed But it will presently be enquired whether every Soul is brought into Christ this way I will first open the height of this tempest upon a Soul and then I will satisfie this Query It is thus When God musters up our sins and sets them in order before our eyes Psal 50.21 When he will make sin appear exceeding sinfull to be abounding sin When God writes bitter things against a Soul and makes it to possesse the iniquity of its youth I need seek no further then the 38. Psalm for this tempest and the 88. In both of them you have a description of this tempest upon a poor creature Thine arrows stick fast in me There is no rest in my bones because of my sin Mine iniquities are gone over my head and are a burthen too heavy for me to bear Troubled and bowed down and go mourning all the day filled with his terrours as Heman To this as it may be conceived to have been the case with David and Heman in both these Psalmes is usually added some sharp affliction either of sicknesse or of the imbittering some choice creature-comfort our spirits were inordinately let out unto which causeth this shaking and tempest to be the more grievous that we become as David speaks even as broken vessels under the mighty hand of God This also by the sufferance of God is often heightned by Satans violent assaults black and horrible suggestions blasphemous accusations representing sin as unpardonable joyns with an accusing conscience and all our fleshly reasonings that God is in a way of destroying and beginning of wrath here and therefore is apt to suggest self-destruction so crossing Gods design perswading the Soul to fly from God as an Enemy when Gods main design is mercy to turn it to him Now then take all these the appearing of a great and holy and terrible God shaking a poor earthly creature the powerfull awakenings and enlightenings of his Word a sense of his fierce wrath the dread of a miscarrying soul the burthen of sin the accusations of conscience the afflicting hand of God the desperate assaults of Satan these like several windes make a tempest in the whole man and make it to cry out Thy waves O Lord and thy billows go over my soul who is able to abide thine appearance These like severall windes meeting in a cranny of the earth make a concussion and mighty shaking upon the spirit of a sinner when the Lord thus takes him in hand Now to answer the question whether every Soul be brought in to Christ such a way in the height of this tempest This is more then I dare assert yet that many a poor Soul comes thus shipwracht Christ thus tempestuous and forlorn I know I need not insist to prove This I may call the storming of a Soul when Christ takes a Soul by his great power suddenly breaks down all the strong holds and high things 2 Cor. 10.5 This is usually the way of an open sinner though not in the same height neither in every open sinner at his first conversion But then sometimes Jesus Christ takes a Soul as I may so speak upon easier terms brings it in leni afflatu with a more gentle gale yet so that in the progresse of it there will be some shakings something of this tempest upon it though the Soul hath a glimpse of Christ and his hand more sensibly supporting it which I clear thus First If the seed of grace be sown early in the heart as sometimes it is that some Souls cannot remember the first work of it yet if the Soul grow up to any measure of experience it must be more shaken in order to its further subduing and purifying It will meet with some kinde of tempests ordinarily I never spake with any as to this Point but more or lesse did allow of it But when the work of God is begun at some further ripenesse of years then certainly it shall meet with what I have set forth in some measure Consider for a Soul to be awakened out of the deep sleep of carnall security which sin hath bound him in To have Satan the strong man dispossest by a stronger then he To have the guilt and filth of sinne discovered by the holy Spirit To have Christ destroy the works of Satan the power and peace of corruptions that will set against him with all the reasonings of flesh and bloud mustered up To have in a word the secure dead earthy dark hard proud atheisticall unbeleeving heart of an obstinate wretch of death to become life of darknesse light of a stone flesh To have a grain of faith break through all naturall impossibilities spirituall wickednesses all discouragements within and without when nothing within us to help forward beleeving but every thing against us as I shall further shew Though all these be not enough to hinder the Lord Jesus when he by his strong arm will work Isa 43.13 I will work and who shall let it yet certainly this work is not wrought forth in a dream as we use to speak of things insensibly done not without some shaking and concussion upon the spirit something of this tempest upon it partly in the beginning and partly in the progresse of conversion Fides non fit sine multo motu saith Melancthon faith is not wrought forth without much motion in the Soul Yea I might here shew into how many tempests from without and within many a poor Soul specially such whom God will most humble and fit for some speciall service fals into how many overwhelmings of spirit and gusts of temptations it is frequently shaken with but I intend to keep my self chiefly to the discovery of the souls first approach to Christ It may yet be further enquired What is the lowest measure of such conviction in the bringing in of a Soul to Christ In this there have been extreams somtimes I presume gracious men giving forth the tenour of their own conversion as a generall rule to all others But in this case I may safely assert that the first work of the Spirit is to convince of sin Joh. 16.7 And that such a convincement that shall give a creature such a sight of sin that it must appear exceeding sinfull to be abounding sin Rom. 5.18 to be tyrannizing fin filthy sinne condemning sinne which must not only flote in the head but convince the conscience and affect the heart that it must needs humble and abase a creature as he goes out of himself and rowls upon Jesus Christ yea he shall come in a

life fulnesse contentment which they are not able in the least measure to give and one drop of Jesus Christ and Grace brings them all as fountain'd up in him One word more and I trust thou shalt say thou art inexcusable O man Rom. 2.1 If these things be so and there it thus but one choice in the world that can quiet the restlesse spirit of man the chosen one of God in whom his soul delighteth for ever why do we lie doting and puzling our selves in darknesse and disquieting our selves in vain why do we not break off these Idols from our hearts and call them in and set them to Jesus Christ Oh let my soul choose him let him be the dear dear choice of my soul give me him or I die 2. If he be the chosen of God the delight of his soul Isa 41.1 the heart of the infinite incomprehensible God can be delighted satisfied filled from and to all eternity with and by him well-pleased and never weary of him Shall not the finite spirit of a poor creature be overcome with the ocean of his goodnesse that is in him shall it be afraid and stand reasoning whether it shall have earth or him Oh the folly of the sons and daughters of men to hear of such a prize such an Indies of all sweetnesse and treasure and but a short time to venture for him loose him now and give a thousand worlds for him hereafter and now gaining a look from him though now his bowels more yearn and his heart beats and pants after souls with more fervency then all the creatures desires can make in one yet that wretched creatures enslaved to a cursed peace kept by Satan idolizing empty nothings fullfilling lusts that restlesly hurry them up and down should have lower baser thoughts of Christ then of the basest thing they enjoy for they will not misse one of them to gain him the poorest meanest thing they enjoy hath more of their heart more care and thoughts of their spirits toward it then Jesus Christ hath Consider thy own heartlesnesse how seldome thou art in the thought of Jesus Christ and eternall life in him how seldome the deep sense of salvation in him is upon thee and this 't is thou must needs say 't is thus with me wretch that I am what do I bestow the strength of my spirit upon why then poor creature as thou art what shouldst thou do but like that wise Merchant man Mat. 12. who having found one pearl of great price he went and sold all that he had and bought it Ah such a pearl the pearl of God the pearl of heaven and earth the pearl of souls 't is sweetest Jesus Christ whatever is precious is laid up in him Now then sell all that thou hast how so that is be contented to venture the losse of all for Christ and thou gainest ensurest all as shewd yet all thy riches pleasures enjoyments under thy feet for Christ let all all and ten thousand times more go so thou hast Christ Ay but how shall I buy him Will gold and silver do it The meaning is to gain him 't is spoken comparatively As Merchant men will sell all to buy a pearl of inestimable price so will poor souls that truly beleeve these things to be in Jesus Christ as the holy Spirit of God and the experiences of his own witnesse to be in him divorce their hearts from all venture all to winne to winne Jesns Christ But must I then cast off all my calling all my possessions No but subject them to the pursuit of Jesus Christ get them loosened from thy heart let it not be a weight upon thee to depresse thy soul from soaring after him keep them but as under-things things thou must have or be without and not be the lesse blessed and so in obedience to God and submission to his good pleasure be industrious in thy calling but the motions strength aims of thy spirit to win and enjoy love and honour Jesus Christ and such will the Father honour Joh. 5. No losse of time to seek him in his word no self-deniall for him no motion or good word for Christ in sincerity no witnesse for his Kingdom Gospel People but the Father treasureth it up and will put honour upon thee for it And now having thus a little dwelt upon this to take off all Objections from thy ensnared heart Be not afraid to be awakened and deeply considering the state of thy poor soul though distempers and disquietnesse arise though it be tempestuous with thee for a time see the blessed and glorious recompences of it by the Lord of life and glory here and to all eternity Aud now I will conclude thee as stupid as a worm groveling in the earth as thou dost if these so weighty and important considerations doe not upon thee being such as Jesus Christ left to move and pierce the Rocks of mens hearts to leade them to life in himself and such as if thou putst them off will be as Swords in thy bones will flash back upon thee as a thousand Witnesses against thee if thou receive them not into thy heart if thou receive them not into thy heart as thou wouldest do things that are most precious to thee Why doth Christ so often knock and thou wilt not own him thou art gone abroad or asleep In a word then either put in thy plea to God or submit and own it that 't is better to passe through a small tempest to Jesus Christ then to enjoy a world of empty contentments here and be a castaway under the furious tempests of Gods wrath for ever and ever Ah Soul once get hold on the skirts of Jesus Christ and he will anchor thee to a safe harbour windes and waves sin conscience fears unbelief Satan all obey him A word from him quiets all Be not like great debtors afraid to enter into the consideration of thy debts thy sinfull estate for fear of disquietnesse that is to resist the strivings of God with thee and he will not strive alwaies but set the sins of heart and life before thee though they swell to a numberlesse summe in bloudy characters I am yet to shew thee Jesus Christ the best and safest pay-master in the world But thou wilt say What is that to thee spread them before God and seek him to sue all thy Bonds and Debts upon Jesus Christ and God will take him thy Surety 't was the good pleasure of Jesus Christ to cancell and kill them all they did their worst upon him so get to him and in him and the worst is over and all the blessednesse I have pointed at is thine but I shall prevent my self These I have laid down as awakening exciting considerations to a poor soul to whom the experiences of these things are yet but dark and so the Lord blesse them to thy soul and I passe to the next thing 2. Saith a poor soul Well I have had some good