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	house_n	22	3	6.0421	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A74960	The cause of God, and of these nations sought out, and drawn forth from the rubbish of the lusts and interests of men, and lifted up into sight and view for all the upright in heart to follow it. Wherein is shewed, what our cause was. What opportunity we had for it. How miserably it has been deserted. What was the cause of that desertion. The spiritual judgment that is already upon the desertors. With a word of encouragement to all the faithful, and persevering friends of it.		1659 (1659)	Wing C1533; Thomason E968_11; ESTC R207703	35,047	47

for very vanity If it be not in this spirit in vain is all the tugging of our friends in Parliament though I would not discourage any honest and righteous spirit to be holding up the bucklers against oppression and slavery upon an honest account Yet I fear me nay I see and I see with joy that the day is gone down upon the head of man in his highest Activity wherein he boasts himself The Princes of Zoan are become fools through our laying too much stresse on them It is another spirit that must bring salvation a spirit that is true indeed that was never false a spirit that cannot lye nor deceive that cannot be corrupted A spirit that hath overcome the World And I hope this spirit is taking the work into his own hand in this day CHAP. VII Containing a brief Recapitulation of some principal Heads and the Conclusion of the whole TO sum up all briefly and clear up more distinctly what hath bin in general hinted Whosoever is able rightly to discern past affaires will see there was a double Cause set on foot amongst us viz. the Cause of God and the Cause of these Nations which most have had some notion of but few have adequately described or rightly distinguished them only have admitted the Interest of Spiritual as well as Civil liberties But certainly the Cause of God must needs be higher larger of nearer concerr of greater consequence than the Cause of the Nation though that be great as the Soul is more noble than the body and the Creator to be preferred before the Creature The Cause of God like the Heavens waters with its dew cherishes with its influence embraces in its Arms and bosome the Natural Rights and Liberties of men as its Earth and Spouse in a subserviency and usefulness to the illustration of its own bounty and glory The Heavens are independent on the Earth not so the Earth on the Heavens The Cause of God needs not us but we receive all our vigor and blessing from it 2. As there were two Causes so there were two people or sorts of men that were drawn forth to serve them some upon a Natural and Civil account only having a just resentment of the languishing state of their Civil and Natural Rights and Liberties and others upon a higher account as being sensible of the sad condidition we were in as to spirituall affairs by the Ecclesiastical Taskmasters 3. These 2 Causes and their Adherents went hand in hand together in a joynt socious way the cause of God the cause of the Nation The People of God were concerned in both Causes and contributed to both not only their lives and fortunes as we call them in common with the Nation but besides and above them their Faith their Prayers their Comforts their Experiences all their Interest in God and in the Promises for the promoting of both and this not only out of love to themselves and their own particular concerns but in love to the Nation and in duty and faithfulness to God whereby the Cause of the Nation in some sense became to them the Cause of God though always the distinction and subordination preserved The Cause of God consists of two parts the one outward and visible such as is the object of the Natural Man's discerning viz. Freedom from outward violence and persecution in the externall exercise of Religion and the worship and service of God which because of things that relate to God may in a large sense be called the Cause of God but in respect of the Subjects of these Liberties which are all Men or every Nation of men they are but Natural Rights such as every sort of Men and Religions whether true or false do challenge and expect for every Nation will walk in the Name of their God This part of the Cause of God is but as the outward Court which the Gentiles may come into and tread down and is such an Interest as may be playd fast or loose withall by the Owners if they hold it only on the tearms of a Natural Right according as its makes with or against their Ruling worldly Interest or Concerns whether it be profit or honour as hath been too too manifest in these days which hath made so many go back from those Principles in this kind which once they abetted and contended for The other part of the Cause of God is wholly spiritual and so invisible to that Eye that is only natural though ever so enlightned even in the Letter of the Scripture it self and is exprest by the Apostle to consist in the deliverance of the whole Creation from the bondage of Corruption into the glorious liberty of the Children of God It is the delivering up all to God the subjecting of all to him which is the true liberty of the creature and this delivering up to God is not to Him as the head of the first Creation exercising his Rule by natural Light or Principles but as the Head of the New Creation by Christ risen from the dead exercising a far higher and better Rule in the New Creature which though it have for its Subject Matter the same things that are found in the Rule of the Natural or Moral Conscience viz. All External righteousness Religion and worship yet it hath them upon another account that is on other grounds and to other ends and over and besides them it subjects the Mind in all its operations in these to the Law of the Spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus whereby the Creature is brought forth in newness of operation with Christ not seeking its own glory but the glory of its Head as Christ seeks the glory of his Father And this true spiritual and glorious liberty where it is brought forth in any soul is such an interest as cannot be disposed of or parted with by its possessor or made to serve but disposes of all things in that soul to the service of the Lord seeking alwaies to do the things that please Him not being able to do any thing against the Truth but for the Truth Thus those whom the Son makes free are free indeed and abide in the house for ever and never prove false nor turn their backs upon God or that that is his interest and glory Every other Spirit is corruptible and the Rule and Law of its walking is uncertain and variable may be turned this way or that way as worldly Interest or advantage swayes but though every man be a lyar yet God is true and cannot deny himself and so are they true that are thus born of him and become one Spirit with him by the spiritual slaying and crucifying of that life in them which is subject to chaxges and may be corrupted bribed and bought off from its Allegiance Had all that took upon them the defence of our Cause been of this Spirit we should never have had cause to have complained of the betraying and deserting of it But

Curae leves loquuntur ingentes stupent But few go to the Root of our distemper we must go lower yet Sure that which hath blasted all our hopes and made us return and sit down as men ashamed re infectâ must be discovered and this Light I am apt to think must come out of the Sanctuary Those that have travelled through the like passages in their own hearts and have known the depths of Satan the admirable shapes he transforms himself into and what an absolute Newness of life and frame of Spirit is requisite for the carrying on the work of the Kingdom of God steadily and without starting back they may tell us something of importance and siguificancy in our Case In searching out the Root of our Distemper we may profitably reflect upon many things which might be partly Causes of it and have a hand in bringing us thus low when we were in so hopeful a way as was hinted before Such as are a carnal Succumbency of Spirit lying down in the advantanges attained and so making the Kingdom of God a thing too outward consisting in worldly and outward ease honour and the like and neglecting it within 2. Making it too private and narrow contenting our selves with our own not travelling of others deliverance the poor remaining yet in streights in our own Land through want of justice to help them to their own and want of mercy to extend something of ours to them 3. Unwatchfulness of Spirit through which the enemy got an advantage to work in the night of our security and sloth to undo all again while we were sleeping and shorting in our private advantages And many such like Reasons might be assigned which if we should be exact to muster up we might be lost in them But they being infirmities of all Times common to all as Men they have their easier and more ordinary censure and pardon from the Lord and cannot be supposed to be so severely animadvered against by the hand of his justice as to cause him after such intimacy to turn his back upon a people And therefore we must search for some other blacker and fowler thing to charge this great Desertion and sorsaking of us upon And as Physitians use to inquire of their Patients the time when their diseases seized upon them and the Manner of its on-set how and where it found them where they had bin what they had bin doing what they had eaten or drank that day or what exercise they had bin at and such like Circumsiances so let us do We may remember that it was a constant observation which was again and again inculcated upon us both by the Lord himself and those that were wise observers of his providences and dispensations that when ever we began to consult with flesh and blood and to deal wisely to restrain or deal hardly with the true Israel of God The Lord did alwayes animadvert against us with some losse ill successe or disappointment in our publique affaires which was as that voice unto us Touch not mine annointed and do my Prophets no harme It is for their sakes that God doth all that he rebukes Kings He gives Nations for them and therefore not to discern this the Lords body whose good and deliverance is the scope and aime of all God's works and dispensations No wonder if it cast us into a sick and weak and languishing Estate By these we rose with these we thrived It may be remembred Our affaires never succeeded till they came to be managed by these hands in the Army and then we had not any considerable stop or Check that did dwell upon us till the salvation of the three Nations was wrought out and accomplished But when God had Vanquished our Enemies I dowell remember an evil spirit grew up against the people of God we grew jealous of them we were glad to be Saved by them but afraid they should Rule over us And therefore as their weaknesse unwatchfulnesse and unheedfulnesse to this spirit gave way those that should have prevented and forbid being otherwise privately taken up and employed or wanting such a sense and value of themselves in the Lord as was requisite to keep off the World from presuming and incroaching upon them by little and little they grew from jealousie to Emnity and to plant their Engines against that people and that spirit that had bin their Raepart and defence in all assaults that had bin made against their peace and safety Nay then sayes God if this be your Requital of me if you that have bin fellow Souldiers in one Cause fellow servants in one house know no better how to use your peace and liberty but fall a beating your fellow servants I will make one among you or I will send in One upon you that shall seize and secure things you so abuse not to be restored again till you know how to make a better use of them You love your Liberty you love your property you are not for Me nor will give my Saints their Liberty and free breathing among you if ye drive me away from you if I go up from you these go with me And as for those you Maligne I will be a little Sanctuary to them And there is this thing farther in it which is worthy our observation The spirit we were so jealous of was that growing light in the people of God which we knew not where it would end being a free born Creation that had no name nor form for that which was formed we could admit and grew pretty familiar with though at first we were shy of some of them as Independents Anabaptists c. But this namelesse thing this Virgin that was not espoused nor determined to or by any forme This spirit that owned no Father but God no Master but one and He in Heaven that was in a pure absolute and constant dependance on him that professed to follow the Lamb whithersoever he should go that had resigned its will its wisdome the Conduct of it self wholly to him This was the Offence Top and keep down this spirit let not this get the head of us if it do we are undone our Religion our Consistency is gone we shall be the most tossed wavering uncertain fluid ridiculous people in the World No Nation will value us none of the Potestant Churches will own us Let not this Man let not any men in this spirit Rule over us nor be suffered among us Now mark what God did He took one that was in no form neither Presbyterian Independent nor Anapatist and sets him up in despight of all this wit and contrivance to the contrary And so the very thing that generation so studiously avoyed fell unto them The thing they feared as Iob saies came unpon them and that very life they sought to save they assuredly lost This was the first thing But this is not all In the next place God committs into his hand a Rule not heavenly Divine and spiritual