Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	ability_n	able_a	comfort_n	20	3	6.5155	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A49386	The duty of servants containing first, their preparation for, and choice of a service, secondly, their duty in service : together with prayers suited to each duty : to this is added A discourse of the Sacrament suited peculiarly to servants / by the author of Practical Christianity.	Lucas, Richard, 1648-1715.	1685 (1685)	Wing L3396; ESTC R5519	91,855	259

is this they who would be extremely devout must be extremly pious they who would find the pleasure of transports in Prayer must be frequent in their Retirements strict in their Self-denial and Mortification devout if it may be even in their daily Conversation In a word they must be crucified to the World and delight in God and in Jesus above all things The Servants Duty as it respects their Obligation to and Preparation for the Sacrament shall be handled at large in the close of this Book I have insisted thus long upon these Duties because whoever conscienciously performs these will not be like to miscarry in any other I will now single out those other Duties which do seem to me more peculiarly to concern Servants for as there are some times so there are some stations which do more particularly require the practice of some Virtues as Adversity of Patience Prosperity of Thankfulness The station of a Magistrate requires the practice of Justice and the station of a Subject the practice of Loyalty and both the one and the other is bound to this out of Conscience towards God So is it in the station of a Servant tho' he must not look upon himself as dispens'd from any Duty common to him with others yet there are some wherein he must endeavour to excel and be eminent as being more immediately and directly necessary in his Imployment such are these three Fidelity to his Master dependance upon God The Servant's Fidelity to his Master a Duty owing to God and Contentment in his station First Fidelity to his Master I place this first because all his Prayers and Sacrifices without this cannot be accepted by God his diligence in reading and hearing the Word is without this Hypocrisie and his communicating of the Sacrament is without this but a bold and presumptuous prophanation of it And I place this here as a Duty towards God because I would have every Servant know that it really is so nothing can be plainer than that the * Eph. 6.5 c. Apostle thought so which you will readily acknowledge if you 'l read with impartiality that weighty and earnest Exhortation which he makes to Servants Eph. 6.5 c. Servants be obedient to them that are your Masters according to the flesh in fear and trembling with singleness of your heart as unto Christ not with eye-service as men-pleasers but as the Servants of Christ doing the Will of God from the heart with good will doing service as to the Lord and not to men knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doth the same shall he receive of the Lord whether he be bond or free How could the Apostle more fully or more pathetically express your Obedience to your Masters to be a duty to God he tells you that the discharge of your Place is a good work that God owns it and will reward it as a Service done to him that it doth very much concern the Honour of your Christian Profession that the Rule by which you are to behave your selves is the Conscience of its being a Duty towards God a firm persuasion that you are to be accountable for it to Christ our Lord and Master and our Judge and for these Reasons you are to perform this Duty with fear and trembling that is not an apprehension of what you shall suffer in your Temporal Interest if you perform it not faithfully but a dread of dishonouring Christ and provoking God by it Those other Properties of the right performance of this Duty singleness of heart chearfulness c. as they respect your Duty towards your Master shall be treated in their proper place I am only here to mind you that they are here pressed upon you as Duties to God the Apostle intimating that where the Master's Eye could not there God's Eye would see regard and mark the behaviour of the Servant and that though his heart were not open to the inspection of his Master yet 't is to God's and therefore he must serve his Master from his heart too He that is acted by such a Conscience as this will certainly do his Duty for when he shall think that God overlooks him and fills every place which his Master cannot he cannot then easily be tempted to allow himself in murmuring or unfaithfulness or idleness Whatever he would not do or say if his Master's Eye were upon him that being govern'd by this Conscience he will not do how far soever he be absent for he will fear Damnation more than the loss of his Service and the displeasure of God more than that of Man A second Duty towards God which I would recommend to Servants is 2. Trust in God Trust in him or dependance upon him There is no state so secure or so fortunate as not to stand in need of God and consequently none wherein this is not a proper Duty But yet it seems most proper and indispensible for such as have fewest Friends fewest supports to relie upon and such are Servants they are therefore to endeavour to be eminent in this Grace there is no way by which they can more directly and immediately own God by which they can make a more publick and eminent Profession of their firm Belief of his Wisdom Power and Goodness The Servant therefore must learn to look upon God as his Father as his Patron as his Guardian as all in all to him to him he must resort for Counsel to him he must complain if wrong'd of him he must beg assistance and on him alone he must relie for a blessing in all he doth and for Provision He must learn to call upon him in all his Straits and praise him in all his Enjoyments From the conscientious practice of this Duty the Master will reap two great Advantages the first that his Servant will do his Duty with much better courage as aiming in all he doth to recommend himself not only to his Master whose power to requite him is it may be very little but most especially to God who he knows is a Patron that never wants either power or will to recompence those that apply themselves to him The second that God will bless him and all he has for his Servants sake This was the Advantage which Potiphar enjoy'd in the Service of Joseph and Laban in that of Jacob the Prosperity of those Idolaters being owing to the Religion of their Servants the Servant besides the contentment and satisfaction of his mind arising from his frequent Addresses to God and besides the actual blessings which God will one time or other certainly bestow upon those that trust in him will also find a good support a ready Antidote against all the real and imaginary Evils of his state For were but this Duty of Trust in God conscientiously practised Servants of ability and spirit would never want encouragement nor those of meaner Capacity satisfaction and comfort They who serv'd in hope would be able in despight of an

and murmur'd at thy Providence been discontent in my Condition and complain'd of thy Dealings towards me 'T is true O my God that thou of thine infinite goodness hast convinc'd my Conscience of sin affected my Soul with a sorrow for it and wrought in me Resolutions of amendment but oh how many have been my falls how many and grievous have been my Relapses how negligent have I been of the Covenant of my God! Oh how soon have the tears of my Repentance dried up how soon has the flame of my Devotion and Love slackened and even gone out O God thou holy God thou Witness of all my actions and Judge of all my thoughts and affections what would become of me if thou shouldest enter into strict Judgment with me how should I stand before thy Tribunal cover'd with the guilt and shame of so many sins But O thou God of Mercy O thou God and Father of my Lord Jesus Christ I know that thou art always ready to pardon poor Penitents Lord I repent increase thou my Repentance trouble has taken hold of me my Soul is cast down and disquieted within me I am asham'd yea even confounded for I do bear the Reproach of the folly and ingratitude of my sins O be thou reconciled to me pardon me I beseech thee by the Merits and Intercession by the Agony and Passion and by all the painful Sufferings of thy Son pardon me O pardon me I beseech thee by thine own boundless goodness by those tender Mercies and Compassion which thou art wont to exercise towards Repenting sinners And Lord not only pardon my sins but deliver me I beseech thee from the Dominion and Power of 'em O assist me to break off those Chains of carnal Lusts and worldly Cares in which I have been held bound I have a false deceitful heart O give me Sincerity and Truth have a sluggish and drowsie body O enkindle in me fervency of spirit I am conscious to my self of great weakness and fraily O do thou confirm and strengthen me who alone canst make me a clean heart O O God and renew a right spirit within me give me a true Faith and enflame my heart with a holy Love that I may delight my self in thy Commandments that I may walk before thee in uprightness and fear diligently seeking thee constantly depending upon thee chearfully submitting to thy Will and doing the Duty of my place in singleness of heart as knowing that I shall be accountable to thee as well for those Duties which I owe Man as for those which are more immediately to be paid to thee O Lord keep me that my foot stray not out of the path of Justice O Lord keep me that I offend not with my Tongue and after I have done all O Lord suffer me not to fall short of my Reward through my pride or ingratitude but make me always thankful always humble neither defrauding thee of the Praise due to thine infinite Bounty and Mercy nor Man of the Thanks due to him for any act of kindness or charity towards me help me O my God to walk thus that my Soul may enjoy a true Liberty that my Life may be full of comfort my Death of peace and my Eternity of glory through Jesus Christ our Lord. And O my God bless not me only but this whole Family thou that art the God of Love the God of Peace sow in all our hearts the seeds of unfeigned Charity that we may all enjoy the comfort of a mutual Affection and of a mutual Assistance and Aid in our several places and Lord possess every Soul of this Family with a just sense of our Duty towards God and Man that all of us may be living Members of thy blessed Son and being protected by thy Providence directed by thy Word and assisted by the Influence of thy Spirit we may all at last meet in the Family of Heaven where we shall adore and praise thee love and enjoy thee to all Eternity through Jesus Christ our Lord. A Prayer for the Evening O My God my Strength and the Rock of my Salvation the Day is past and the Evening is come O give me grace to remember that this Life will one time be past and Death will come that I may live so that my work may be then finisht as 't is this day and I may have nothing else to do but go to my Rest where I shall be invested with Liberty and Glory Eternal Eternal O blessed Wages of a short Lifes service how does my Soul praise thee O Lord in Transports and even Extasies thou hast called me indeed to be a Servant but thou hast called me too to be a Son thou hast not indeed given me any great portion of the Wealth or Honour of this Life but thou hast given me the blessed Jesus to be my Redeemer and thy holy Spirit to be my Sanctifier O do but ever continue thus to me the Light of thy Countenance thy Grace and thy Truth and I shall never think my self to stand in need of any thing that the World admires but O my God how often are these my Comforts abated nay even interrupted how often is this blessed this chearful Light obscur'd and orecast by my infirmities and sins my sins the only causes that keep good things from me my sins the only real troubles of my Life Thus O my God though I renew'd my Covenant with thee but this morning though I devoted my self to thee vowing Obedience to thee and faithfulness to my Master yet have I prevaricated my Duty here mention the Errours and Infirmities of the day past have mercy upon me O Lord have mercy upon me and forgive me these and all other my offences and give me grace to keep my self upon my watch and guard against them Enable me sincerely to endeavour to repair and reform 'em as much as in me lies that I may every day grow and increase in goodness and be so much the fiter for Death the nearer I do every day approach to it and whenever it comes let it find me O Lord with my Loyns girt and my Lamp burning in a disposition and frame of spirit fit to die possessed with an unshaken Faith with an humble Resignation and Submission of Mind with a holy Contempt of Earth and a devout Love of Heaven In the mean time thou keeper of Israel thou who never slumbrest nor sleepest watch over me and this whole Family protecting and delivering us in our coming in and going out particularly let thine Angels pitch their Tents about us this night let us lie down securely and let our sleep be sweet to us for thou Lord shalt make us dwell in safety Amen Amen Blessed Jesus If any one expects from me Directions here for Mental or Extemporary Prayers I must tell 'em freely that little less than a Volume much bigger than I purpose this is sufficient for such an undertaking What I have to say in a word here

as it ought not to be so slight as to reflect any disadvantage on the other so on the other hand it ought to be so moderated and temper'd that the Son be not to soon set up for a young Master and so soothed and fooled into Pride and Vanity and the Father forfeit his Authority by deriving too much of it upon his Son for a foolish Child is too too apt to assume and forget himself and take as his due what he possesses but of Courtesy I mean of his Father and a foolish Servant is too apt to forget his Reverence to his old Master out of Complement to his young one Care for their Morals 2dly Servants must express their Affection to their Masters Children by a tender Care for their Morals I do not mean that they should be Spies upon their Faults but Ministers and Assistants to their Virtues This your Aid is to be afforded according to the Age and Capacity of the Children they may instil into 'em early Instruction in their green years they may suggest to 'em their Duty and excite and perswade 'em to it as they grow up to Estate of Reason and all along they must take care that they be no example of any Vice to them neither of frowardness nor lying nor disobedience to those of Tender Years nor of Riot Intemperance Idleness Pride Prodigality and Wilfulness to those of Riper for all are much apter to imitate Vice than Virtue But in stead of performing this excellent Service to their Master it often happens that some Servants are the Corrupters of their Children's Youth they mislead 'em by their Examples and prompt and instigate 'em to Sin both by word and deed They fawn and flatter 'em into Arrogance and Self-conceipt they not only conceal but applaud their Errours they instruct 'em how to play the loose Gallant and the disobedient Child and are in a word ever ready to advise 'em not what is consonant to their good but to their humour and fancy But you will ask me how shall a Servant acquit himself if his Masters Child should take ill courses What shall he do If he oppose and resist the Child what in him lies in the Progress of his Sin he incurs his hatred if he favour him in it and aid him by secrecy and shelter or any other way he is unfaithful to his Master there is no upright man who measures his Obligation to a Duty by the Event and Success of it every man that will have a peaceful Conscience must do what becomes him and leave the Issue of it to God but however he must do it with all the discretion he can too and his Duty will direct him here how to perform another Duty which seems harsh and hazardous for Instance in this Case Charity to the Son will so regulate the Servants Faith to his Master that he shall not only do his Duty but do it with true discretion Thus Charity will direct him First as to the nature of the Childs offence that he is not to take notice of little frailties and inconsiderable defects much less to complain of 'em to his Parents for this were if not a peevish malignity of Spirit yet at least a busie and officious piece of Impertinence not without some mixture of defect of Charity but such matters wherein the Virtue the Honour the Health the Interest of the Child and consequently the happiness and comfort of the Parent is concern'd deserve the Servants Care and Faith but Secondly in Errours of this nature Charity will teach him to distinguish between a slip or fall and a setled depravity of mind or Vicious habit in the Child so that as he will not complain at all of little and trifling Errours so neither will he too soon of greater and in the last place when he shall be convinced of the Indispensible Necessity of making known the fault of a Child Charity will teach him that he should proceed in this with all imaginable mildness not aggravating or amplifying the Crime and that he should use all imaginable Caution both to prevent any mischievous effect of such discovery and to secure as much as in him lies the good success of it And here Charity seems to me to point out the way to this and to tell you that First you are to try what you can effect your self by a modest humble affectionate Representation to your young Master of the sin and hazard wherein he is engaged for if this may prevail it were not so Charitable to bring him into peril of his Fathers displeasure or disesteem but if this sort to no good end you cannot be bound by Faith and Secrecy to your Young Master to betray your Faith and Duty to your Old for this is in effect but to betray both You must therefore either make known the Son's ill Courses to his Father or if there be apparent Reasons to apprehend no good effects of this way but rather ill ones for want of a well poiz'd judgment or tolerable temper in the Father you must then put the business into the hands of some faithfull and discreet Friend whose Authority and good nature may so far mitigate the Violent Choler and sweeten the Implacable temper of the Father that the Son's Virtue may be repaired without the Ruin of his Fortune I have in this Advice insinuated that as a Servant ought not to be peevish and impertinent in complaining of trifling faults so neither ought he to be too forward in revealing greater much less ought he to exaggerate and exulcerate the Crime but my meaning is not that his Information should want any one grain or scruple of truth necessary to give the Friend or Father a right notion of the offence nor yet that he should delay the discovery of a fault where the concealment breeds Danger but if he cannot trust his own Judgment in this point and the Issue of his delay seem doubtful to him he must then consult some body else whose Judgment he may better relie upon and whose affection both to Father and Son he can be very confident of The Servant who behaves himself thus in this case acquits himself with a good Conscience towards God and Man he doth Both very considerable service for there can be nothing more acceptable to God than the converting a sinner from his evil way nor to a Father than the Preservation of a Child just on the brink of misery nor indeed to the Son than the restoring him to his Virtue the preserving to him that Honour and Fortune which were both ready to suffer wreck So that this Servant will hereby procure to himself the everlasting good-will of his Master and Child the Peace of his own mind and the Blessing and Favour of God James 5.20 * He that converteth a sinner from the Errour of his way shall save a Soul from Death and shall hide a multitude of sins Nor is he far remote from that blessed