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	please_v	18	3	4.8069	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

not a judgment from God upon us For my part I take it to be one of the greatest of judgments and an effect and token of Gods forsaking and declaring against a people Spirituall Judgments are the greatest of claring against a people Spirituall Judgments are the greatest of Judgments for thus the wrath of God was revealed from Heaven against the Heathen Rom. 1. for Corrupting themselves in their known light and not improving and going forward in it Now whether the manifest tokens of such a Judgment be not upon us let every sober mind consider And if so If this Corrupting our selves be a Judgment then necessarily through the righteousnesse of God it must be the fruite and punishment of some preceeding sin either sinfull Acts or a sinfull State one or both and so we shall come home to the point to see what many of the adherents to this cause were and how unlikely it was they should bring forth any better fruit then as they have done And in this disquisition we shall be upon surer ground in chargeing the sinfull State which is generall and which we must needs acknowledge as being undeniably witnessed both by Scripture and all experience then the particular Actions that turn'd them out of the way which lye more dark and are more immediately reserved to the Judgment of God though we are not altogether without light to guesse at them too And first we must premise that of the Apostle That is not first which is spirituall but that which is Naturall The first man is of the Earth earthly the second man is the Lord from Heaven As is the Earthly so are they that are Earthly and as is the Heavenly so are they that are Heavenly and as we have borne the Image of the Earthly so we shall beare the Image of the Heavenly For flesh and blood doth not inherit the Kingdome of God neither doth corruption inherit incorruption It is a Scripture that was wont to be read at the burial of the dead We are now I hope burying this dead the old man and O that we might lay him downe in the grave of Christ never to rise in Corruption or in a Corruptible and weake state more But to the Text. As God in bringing forth things out of the first Chaos first sets up man in a Natural Image which was but the figure of the true so in restoring things from the Chaos of Confusion whereinto they are fallen he first brings forth man in the exercise of a Naturall righteous life and principle which hath its beauty and Comelinesse though it be but as a flower and soon withers if it be left alont Yet God is not wanting to it in serving it with all advantages that it desires of him for the attayning of its end and therefore according to his Covenant is just unto it affording his presence and blessing untill it turnes off from him into its own crooked wayes For though it be short and too weak to answer the Call and expectation of God in it self and God restifies so much unto it and therefore calls unto it to resigne its life and self activity and to take it up anew in him by another Covenant yet untill it refuse this testimony betake it self proudly and perversly to its own wayes he doth not pronounce Judgment against it not totally desert it Now in the life and vigour of these first principles did many and those not meane ones set forth in our cause at first which were but Gentile-principles or principles common with the Nations though mixt with better things a light of Scripture and Prophesies at least in the Letter and these managed by men called up by the Spirit of the Nation which is a mixt Spirit and persons chosen having a mixture of Spirit in themselves at best and what was of a purer and higher Nature was under not above was fain to serve and to come as Jacob in Esaus Garments When I say it was but the strength and vigour of a Naturall righteousnesse that girded most in their first setting forth my meaning is not to devest them of zeal to Religion and Reformation I can beare them record with the Apostle they had many of them a zeal of God that way and if that be more then Gentiles we will admitt them Jewes the people of God in Covenant with him But what will that profit if there be a resting in the Law in things that may be shaken if there be onely a forme of knowledge and of the truth in the Law Most of the Jewes had no more and most professors of Christianity are not beyond that and yet I believe they are many of them in very good Earnest their hearts seem to be in what they professe but the very heart of the wicked saith Solomon is little worth The heart is deceitfull The inward and truest life of the Naturall man is but a form a figure of life Adam was no more in his best and purest state Therefore true Circumcision is that of the Heart in the Spirit not of the heart barely but the heart in the Spirit There is one greater then the Heart knowes all things saith John The heart may lye therefore saith the Apostle my Conscience beares me witnesse in the Holy-Ghost that indeed is something else Conscience it self is deceitfull where the Spirit hath not been at work cutting down Man in his Naturall abilityes and his own self-exalting Righteousnesse All his Religion may waste and wither away It cannot hold out against all batteryes and assaults that may be made He that shall desire a fuller witnesse to this truth let him peruse Sr. Henry Vanes book intituled The Retired mans Meditations where he shall find an ample testimony This Honour must be given him for God hath given it him to be the first that in that clearnesse hath ministred this knowledge to the world since the night of Apostacy fell upon it wherein certainly he hath been specially guided by the Holy Spirit I can set my seale to it CHAP. V. A Confirmation of the former with the Historical Exemplification of those Principles in the late Transactions SO then there was in our first Engagement the shooting forth of such a Spirit as God was pleas'd to entertain a Tryal of and to joyne issue with as far as it would goe in his work And many of those worthy Patriots and Souldiers were no doubt accepted of God in their day and were gathered home where they are reaping the wages of their faithfull services being taken from the Evils to come the time being not then for the two seeds and principles which were in this Cause to be discovered in their distinction or opposition rather and to part asunder but being complicated together as light and darknesse day and night were in the first Creation before God divided them the good seed was the blessing of the Cluster though I say it was the younger Brother and the Underling and the other