Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	able_a	abraham_n	stone_n	52	3	6.9246	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26346	God's eye on the contrite, or, A discourse shewing that true poverty and contrition of spirit, and trembling at God's Word is the infallible and only way for the obtaining and retaining of divine acceptation as it was made in the audience of the General Assembly of the Massachusetts Colony at Boston in New England May 27, 1685, being the day of election there / by William Adams.	Adams, William, 1650-1685.	1685 (1685)	Wing A498; ESTC W12431	33,350	44

〈…〉 That True 〈…〉 Word is the 〈…〉 of Divine 〈…〉 As it was made 〈…〉 General Assembly 〈◊〉 Massachusetts 〈…〉 NEW-ENGLAND May 27. 1685. 〈…〉 ELECTION there By Mr. WILLIAM ADAMS Mat. 3. 9. Think not to say within your selves We have Abraham 〈◊〉 our father for I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham Prov. 29. 23. A mans pride shall bring him low but Honour shall 〈◊〉 hold the humble in spirit Zeph. 3. 12. I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and 〈◊〉 people and they shall trust in the Name of the Lord. BOSTON in NEW 〈…〉 Printed by Richard 〈…〉 Isai. 66. 2. For a●… tho●… 〈◊〉 hath my 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and all saith the Lo●… but to ●…is 〈◊〉 will I 〈◊〉 and of a 〈◊〉 ●…rit and 〈◊〉 ●…th at my 〈◊〉 THis Chapter and the foregoing contain the last and 〈◊〉 ing S●… on of this Prophet in the publick A●…ce o●… 〈◊〉 Iews 〈◊〉 that did concern and was proposed to the General ●…dy of that People in which Discourse the Lord does by the Prophet declare the Removal of the Glory and of his Kingdom from them to another People and withal mentions th●…●…rticular sins and their Obstinacy in them for which he would 〈◊〉 deal with them in removing from and rejecting of them But yet notwithstanding to evidence his Love and Faithfulness to this people that had been so near him and that he had so graciously manifested Himself to the Lord promises to preserve a Remna●… in this calamity whom He would follow with signal favours where ever they should be cast and reserve to better times In the finishing and making up of his Prophecy the Prophet intermixes many things by way of Comfort to the godly and Threatning to the wicked under all the great Revolutions of Providence that should happen in the accomplishment of what was here fore-told And because this people of the Iews both good and bad did too much confide in the Temple and the external Rites and Ordinances of God's worship attended among them while in the mean time they were not suitably spirited nor did suitably carry themselves The Prophet in the beginning of this Chapter beats them off from that carnal confidence and shews them the true way of obtaining and re-taining Divine Favour declaring ●…hat it would be vain Confidence to rest in any external ●…gns of Gods pr●…e or be constantly and certainly depended upon But to this m●… 〈◊〉 look even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and tremble●… at my Word Concerning the former part of the words there a rise two Questions QUST I. What is the Antecedant to the Relative those those things which its said God had made and that they had been ANSW Some refer it to the Heaven and Earth mentioned in the beginning of the first verse Them and whatsoever is contained in them all the works of Creation which we behold above or below in the Sky or Heavens or on the earth Others refer it t●… the House that had been built unto God that had been the place of His rest viz. the Temple mentioned in the latter part of the first verse it is not inconsistent or impossible but both may be referred to having been just before both mentioned and the repeating of the Relative is not unlikely but doth intimate so much All those things hath My hand made 〈◊〉 the works of Creation And all those things have been viz. ●…t have pertained to my Temple House Rest and Abode among you QUEST II. What is the scope and drift of these words to what end 〈◊〉 they thus exprest For all those things hath mine hand made c. ANSW They may import either 1. Seeing that God is HE who has given being to all things one and another He cannot be supposed to have any need of to receive benefit by or be engaged unto Man for any service he hath done Him And so they respect and may be joyned with the following words after this manner q. d. Although I who AM the Authour and Creator of all things whatsoever cannot therefore need or be engaged to any creature yet I will condescend to shew grace to such who are of 〈◊〉 truly humble mind and do fear before Me. My Greatness shall not hinder Me dwelling with and regarding the lowly in spirit Or else 2. It may be as if the Lord should say It s true My Temple My House My Rest My Worship Order and Ordinances have been among you All these things have been But the bare Being of these is no certain Sign of My continuing Presence and Favour There may be many things that may drive Me away notwithstanding all that may have been of this nature But here I give you a certain mark by which you may try and be assured of My Favour Viz. if these following properties be found in you That you be poor contrite in spirit and tremble at My Word But to this man will I look even to him that is poor c. I shall a little open this latter part of the words But to this man scil To every such man man or woman and therefore to any Company or Society of such men as shall be so spirited To any people that are in such a frame What agrees to Individuals will also agree to the whole that is made up of such Individuals Will I look Verbs of Sense denote also suitable and proportionable affections It imports therefore To look with favour and acceptation to respect regard take notice and take care of to accept with good Will to embrace with Favour and Love So Exod. 2. 25. God looked upon the children of Israel and God had respect to them Numb 16. 15. Moses was very wroth and said to the Lord respect not thou their offering Psal. 11. 7. His countenance doth behold the upright Amos 5. 22. Your meat-offerings I will not accept neither will I regard which is the same word ●…th this here in the Text. Even to him that is poor The word sometimes signifies those which are outwardly poor and afflicted and such frequently is the condition of those in this world who find most Favour with God But here it is to be understood of such who are spiritually poor or poor in their own sight and esteem poor in spirit as they are called Mat. 5. 3. that think modestly lowly meanly of themselves They are meek and humble that feel their need of divine answers to their cries and of divine Help All men indeed are poor in spiritual regards but it is the man that does duly sense his spiritual poverty who understands himself to be and bears himself as a poor man that is here meant Qui nihil altum de se sapit His heart is not haughty nor his eye lofty and he feels and believes that there is no cause they should And of a contrite spirit The word properly signifies smitten in spirit and intends one

are God's secret humble trembling broken-hearted People lying in the howels of the country that must be the Rise of all our Salvation Iob. 22. 29. When men are cast down then thou shalt say there is a lifting up and Hee shall save the humble person ●…et a degenerate backsliding people that have been under divine Correction thus humble themselves and God will return to them with mercy Levit. 26. 40 41 42. If they shall confess their iniquity that they have walked contrary unto ●…e and that I also have walked contrary unto them If then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled and they then accept of the punishment of their inquity Then I will remember my Covenant with Iacob and I will remember the Land And it is God's manner in his signal Dispensations of Favour to His People to humble His people before He give birth to His promises to bring down their hearts before He fill them and raise them with Joy and gladness to strike them dumb in a holy self-abhorrency and confusion before He open their mouth in praises Iob. 40. 3 6. 42. 6 10. We have therefore encouragement and all Reason on every hand to imitate those more eminent and illustrious Saints which are noted by the Elders round about the Throne in the Revelations who cast not only themselves but there Crowns down before the Lord laid all their Honour Worth or Endowments at the Lord's feet as sensible of and acknowledging their own utter emptiness and unworthiness Chapt. 4. 10. I shall be brief in the Directions Direct I. Get a real apprehension of the Lord 's most excellent soveraignty and Glory That we be perswaded that it ought and willing that it should be so that God should be every way glorified and we be nothing None was meeker than Moses before whom God had displayed His glory and talked face to face The●… shall we be lowest in our selves when God is highest and most lifted up in our hearts Isai. 6. 1 5. I saw also the Lord sitting upon a Throne high and lifted up and His train filled the Temple Above it stood the Seraphims and one cryed unto another and said Holy Holy Holy is the LORD of hosts the whole earth is full of His glory And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cryed and the house was filled with smoke Then said I wo is me for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips Dir. II. Get a through sense of your sins and the desert of them How could we look high or how could we choose but ly●… low if we understood our selves what we had done and what we are We must needs think the least mercy too good for us There is sin enough in the Country and in our hearts had we a sense of it to break and humble us Ezek. 36. 31. Then shall ye remember your own evil wayes and your doings that were not good and shall loath your selves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations Dir. III. Live beholding and eyeing the Lord Iesus Look to His Example Mat. 11. 29. Learn of me for I am meek and Lowly in heart And look to Him for influence to break and bring down our hearts We are all sick of a hard and proud heart and if ever we desire to be healed of this woful disease we must have recourse to the Lord Jesus Christ and never leave meditating of His low estate and breakings for us till we find virtue coming out of Christ to break and humble our hearts and He who smiteth through the proud in Iudgement do smite through our pride in Mercy Dir. IV. Look to and improve the Lords gracious Promises for the giving this Spirit to his Church and People In the sense of the unbrokenness and unhumbledness of our hearts mourn and cry to the Lord and plead with Him to remember His holy Covenant-promise and to perform it for and unto us Ezek. 36. 26. A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit I will put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and give you an heart of flesh Zech. 12. 10. And I will pour upon the House of David and upon the Inhabitants of Ierusalem the spirit of grace and of supplications c. Dir. 5. Turn the Ambitious working of our hearts another way Cure this malady by Diversion Turn it into that Channel wherein it may run Let our Ambition be to please and be accepted of God 2. Cor. 5. 9. Wherefore we labour that whether pre-present or absent we may be accepted of him We labour 〈◊〉 we are ambitious carried away by a holy Ambition There is an Elevation of spirit in the wayes of God oh that we had more of it which is desireable and commendable 2. Chron. 17. 6. And his heart was lifted up in the wayes of the Lord. And the more this grows and prevailes the more will it suck dry that unbecoming elation of spirit Be therefore seeking and striving for that Honour which comes from God only and this will further you in the Obedience Comfort Joy and fruits of Faith and this fruit of it Humility and Me●…kness Joh. 5. 4 For a Close of this Discourse this Doctrine and Exhortation may by a particular Application be proposed I. To Rulers Such as are yet betrusted with the Charge of this people Honoured and much esteemed You are hence exhorted 1. To Labour for a large measure of this spirit of humbleness of mind and meekness in your selves You need it to make You meet for your work that You may be accepted therein of God and men There are other things indeed that may buoy You up in the favourable opinion of men for some time but there is nothing can give You a lasting room in the hearts of wise and good men like this But that which is more this only can give You a standing under Divine Favour and Acceptation and of this you need a great degree especially under the circumstances of the present Time to bear all the Conflicts Hardships and Discouragements You meet with When God chose a man to lead his people in a Wilderness 〈◊〉 Difficulties Dangers Sufferings and Temptations He 〈◊〉 Moses the meekest man in all the earth one able thr●… the intimacy of his acquaintance with God to bear thi●…●…tolerable unto others And yet notwithstanding even 〈◊〉 's spirit was sometimes too much provoked What 〈◊〉 ●…en have You to be eminent in this respect to be beyond ●…ption for true Gospel-Humility and subjection to the Wor●… 〈◊〉 God to be wholly mortified to Self to the Pride Vanity 〈◊〉 Excess Grandure and Love of the World 2. To labour to promote this spirit and frame in the People ●…nder Your charge If God continue You that are from among ourselves in this Trust Your faithful endeavours in this matter will still be expected Remember that You rule not only over men but over a