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	desire_n	20	3	6.0952	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A09970	The golden scepter held forth to the humble VVith the Churches dignitie by her marriage. And the Churches dutie in her carriage. In three treatises. The former delivered in sundry sermons in Cambridge, for the weekely fasts, 1625. The two latter in Lincolnes Inne. By the late learned and reverend divine, Iohn Preston, Dr. in Divinity, chaplaine in ordinary to His Maiesty, Mr. of Emanuel Colledge in Cambridge, and somtime preacher at Lincolnes Inne.	Preston, John, 1587-1628.; Glover, George, b. ca. 1618, engraver.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.; Ball, Thomas, 1589 or 90-1659.	1638 (1638)	STC 20227; ESTC S112474	187,142	312

Iohns ministery who came to humble men and prepare men for Christ. They differ in their continuance the former a lone proves but a passion and it comes but from flesh so as all the fruites of flesh are it is but as the flower of the grasse of the same fading nature the roote is from whence it comes though it comes like a violent torrent into the heart and swells above the bankes yet it is but as a land-floud but this latter is as a constant river that hath a spring which though it keepes within the bankes and doth not overflow so much as the other yet it runnes constantly and the further it runnes the greater it growes I will give you also some properties of that humiliation to which the promise is made here by which it may bee yet further knowne and differenced We will take those fruites of it wee finde in the text 1 It will make a man pray and 2. Seeke Gods face and turne from his evill wayes it hath alwayes these as the consequences of it To pray Iudas was humbled but hee had no minde to pray nor an ability to pray the spirit of prayer went not with it but hee that hath that true humiliation is able to poure forth his soule to God and indeed prayer is not the worke of the memory and wit but the proper worke of a broken heart Againe secondly to seeke Gods face this true humiliation cuts a man off from his owne roote and bottome and causeth him to seeke the Lord alone which seeking useth to be expressed in prayer that other will cause a man to seeke mercy but this to seeke Gods face that is if they have his favour it is enough they seeke God as sequestred from all things else though such a soule had assurance of being freed from hell it would not content him unlesse he saw Gods face That which Absalom counterfeited as knowing it to be a true straine of a loving and humbled child to a Father when he had his life given him though banished from the Court Let mee see my Fathers face though hee kill mee it is an humbled soule in truth towards God others as God sayes in Hosea Seeke mercy but they turned not to mee they sought not me True humiliation causeth a man to turne from his evill wayes the other makes a man but give them over for a time whilst he is sicke of them and then returnes againe as a Dog to his vomit 2 Chron. 33. 23. It is said Amon humbled not himselfe as Manasses his father had humbled himselfe but transgressed more and more which implies that when a man is humbled as hee should he transgresseth no more as hee had done and so Manasses did so humble himselfe as he transgressed no more It will make him become stronger against that sin he hath transgressed in as a bone that hath been broken is stronger when it is right set againe hee especially humbleth himselfe for and turnes from his beloved sin and with that from all the rest 2 Property is it makes a man to cleave fast to Christ and so draw nigh to him in all the duties of obedience to obey him constantly generally and throughly Men may have light wounds made in their hearts which do not drive them to the Physitian which awakeneth men a little but they fall asleepe againe but when God humbleth so as to save he so fastens the apprehension of his misery upon him as to bring him home to Christ he sets on the avenger of bloud to pursue him to the utmost and not for a mile or two but to follow him till he be driven into the Citty of refuge There is an humiliation which hath not this effect and consequent of it and therefore I mention it as a property of the true and this because of a defect that is in it in which respect though it come neare the true yet differs from it which is in the event seene in this that the true causeth to come to Christ and to cleave to him without separation That you may therefore see the difference betweene this and the other and wherein that other is defective marke how that which is true workes this in one who yet is not quite cut off but hangs by a thread as it were there being some secret Fibrae some veines and strings that are not cut in peeces which keepe life in the old man and a man remaineth still upon his old stocke and so long CHRIST comes not into the heart not untill a man be unbottomed of himselfe and sees he can no way be happy in himselfe or within his owne compasse but sees all is to bee had in and from the LORD JESUS untill then he will not goe out of himself nor cleave to or follow the LORD JESUS CHRIST fully Now then the other humiliation is defective in this in that it is not in this manner enough bottomed it cuts not a man wholly off from himselfe the foundation is not laid low enough there is wanting depth of earth there is indeed so much earth as shall bring forth a greene blade of profession and such a foundation as there may bee erected a slight building upon but it is not low enough to beare a substantiall building that shall stand out all windes and weathers This true humiliation hath these two things goe with it A man sees no bottome in himselfe Seeth a bottome out of himselfe to stand upon and so hee casts himselfe upon that clasps about CHRIST and wholly adhereth unto him and so draws all sap and life from him as the branch doth from the roote and thence comes that resolution and ability to cleave to the Lord and to please him in all things As the resolution to doe it so all his ability to goe through with it for being joyned to CHRIST there comes the spirit of grace cal'd the vertue of CHRISTS death because it workes a vertue like unto his death into the heart But when the heart is not yet in this manner broken many take up purposes and good desires but are not able to keepe them because they were bottomed on their owne strength whereas if the heart were broken from it selfe and engrafted into CHRIST such purposes made in his strength would thrive and grow there For if the soile bee made good and fit plants bee planted in it it is certaine they will thrive Now in a good heart those desires that bee planted there doe thrive and wither no more and though there may now and then waves arise and so they may be tossed to and fro yet substantially they doe not wither nor fall from the foundation Those therefore who have begun a good course for a yeare or a moneth and go not on in it it is a signe they want humbling Hee that is truly humbled falles backe no more Manasses did not nor Saint Paul Lord what wilt thou have

is to put in a graft of another nature which wil change it and by little and little sweeten the constitution of it But you will say what is to be put in I answer goe not about it as a morall man but as a Christian get Iustification and Sanctification It is true it is profitable to bee much humbled for thy sinne and you ought to bee so yet this is not the onely way to heale it but the heart must be strengthened with the assurance of the forgivenesse of it There is a double way to get the heart turned away from sinne the one to see the loathsomnesse of that which we turne from the other the beauty of the contrary object wee turne to Spend not all your paines about the first but do something in the later the more contrition the better But it is not got all at once it is more increased by assurance and hope of pardon when a man begins to have hope he purifies himselfe So it is in all other exercises it is hope quickens our endeavours One that is not neare a kingdome goes not about it but when he comes to have hopes he begins to bestirre himself tolle spem tolle conatum therefore get and encrease the hope of the pardon of your sinnes Hence the Apostle Rom. 15. 13. prayes Now the God of hope fill you with al joy and peace through believing c. By the words following it appeares to bee to strengthen and set them right concerning al their infirmities and he points to this as one meanes to be fild with joy and peace in believing as if he had said if your hearts were full of spirituall joy through faith and assurance your hearts would be purified and therefore faith also is said to purifie the heart and besides when the bloud of Christ is applyed by faith there goes a vertue with it Heb. 9. 14. How much more shall the bloud of Christ who through the eternall spirit offered up himselfe to God purge your consciences from dead workes And adde to this sanctification set upon that work Ioh. 17. Christ hath prayed that they might be preserved from the evill of the world But how shal that be done Sanctifie them through thy truth thy word is truth that is when they shall passe through this world full of evill and corruption the way to preserve them spotlesse and untainted is to have the heart sanctified When the heart is well oyled with grace the dirt of the world falls off This is an antidote against corruption Though in your passage you meete with much bad aire and infection this will preserve you But then how should wee bee sanctified By truth The more truth you get into your hearts the more grace Grace and Truth goes together 1 Iohn and came by CHRIST who is full of both Therefore 2 Pet. 3. ult these two are joyned grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ. By truth but what truth thy word is truth Every truth is not fit to sanctifie as all water will not take sope to scowre the word is that truth that doth it Morall truths may doe many things in the soule they may adorne it but they cannot heale or purifie it Wash in Iordan saith the Prophet to leaprous Naaman There is a speciall vertue in this Iordan to heale thee of thy seprofie that is not in the waters of Damascus You came not to the word as to a lecture of Philosophy but as to that which workes wonders the power of God goes with it For withall marke this that it is not the word of it self that doth it it doth not work as Physicke that hath a vertue in it of its owne but the LORD doth it by the word and therefore CHRIST prayes to his father to sanctifie them by the word As a man writes a letter by a pen so the Lord sanctifies by the word To consecrate the heart to GOD is to sanctifie it and divine truths alone doe consecrate the heart to God and no other Let us therefore get much grace and truth into our hearts assurance of justification and joy in the Holy Ghost that by tasting of better the heart may be taken off from the pleasures of sinfull wayes sound joy will swallow up all other joyes the joyes of sin Stirre up those graces that are in thee for when wee exhort you to goe to God to helpe you our meaning is not that you should leave all the worke some labour is required of thee I speake to those who have some beginnings of grace you must stir up those graces GOD hath given you Hence Saint Paul sayes 1 Tim. 4. 15. neglect not the gift that was given thee as if hee had said Timothy thou maiest doe much if thou consider what ability thou hast received so much spirit so much liberty so much regeneration so much free will to good So he sayes to the Church of Philadelphia Thou hast a little strength it is a Talent therefore use it Therfore also he sayes in Iude 20. build up your selves and cleanse your selves and many the like But you will say how can wee doe this seeing it is the LORD that workes in us the will and the deed and wee can doe nothing without the Spirit Though the Spirit doth it yet we in this worke are to bee agents also Rom. 8. 13. If you through the Spirit mortifie the deeds of the flesh as if hee had said though you do it by the Spirit yet do you go about it We may do something to draw the Spirit nigher us as we may doe something to grieve the Spirit and to smoke him out of the house so to please the Spirit as wee intend the flame of the Spiritby pure thoughts so we put him out by foggy thoughts But you will aske what it is to stirre up our graces Stirre up thy light examine thy selfe of thy evill wayes endeavour to see them clearely and confesse them for that is the way to forsake them Prov. 28. 13. and despise none of them with that light thou hast examine every thing what ever thou hast the least doubt search it out to the full This idle speech this jollity and vanity of conversation how little soever it seemes as dalliance in thy thoughts and eyes overly performance of duties Vse that light further to get reason against thy sinne This is to consider a mans wayes as David did to ponder the reasons Let a man take paines with his heart from day to day and consider what reasons there are by which a mans heart may be taken off from his sin as against unlawfull gain to thinke it but as stealing custome whereby a man forfeits all the rest that what is unlawfully gotten is as the coale that was carried in by the Eagle into her nest with a peece of broyled flesh which consumed her nest young and her selfe and all treaties of infirmities that