Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A28339
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Eben-ezer, or, Profitable truths after pestilential times being some meditations upon Isaiah 4, 2, shewing the mercy and the duty of those that have escap'd the slaughtering pestilence : as also, that all slaughter shall end in the exhaltation of Christ and the setting up of his kingdom : together with an epistolary preface to the citizens of London & Westminster / by Thomas Blake.
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Blake, Thomas.
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1666
(1666)
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Wing B3140; ESTC R24659
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97,235
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207
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out-live a day of sad Calamity yet Christ is become more contemptible in their eyes who instead of being brought near unto Christ are at a greater distance from Christ It is verily a sad consideration that such should be the conclusion of such a Providence upon the hearts and spirits of any but yet I fear thus it is with more then a few Paul 2 Tim. 3.13 tells us that evil men and Seducers shall wax worse and worse It is the doom that passeth oft times upon evil men that let the dealings of God with them be what they will they are the worse under them wanting the help of the Spirit of Grace to manage and improve them for good they grow into a worse and more evil frame by them All the goodness the gracious dealings of God they are peculiarly directed to win upon the heart to bring Christ and Souls nearer together this is hinted in Rom. 2.4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance We are to interpret the end of Gods kindness to be for the bringing the heart to bow and stoop and fall at the Foot of Jesus Christ in case it have not this issue what issue else it produces will certainly be very sad namely the setting Souls at a greater distance from Christ and plunging them into a condition worse then they were in before and so it is added vers 5. Thou treasurest up unto thy self wrath against the day of wrath thou by this means raisest up greater displeasure between him and thy Soul If you say Are there any that really have lower thoughts of Christ after they have escaped a day of Distress then before I answer it is to be feared too many and where you find one or more of these marks I shall lay down you may conclude that such persons though Christ hath dealt very tenderly with them and not swept them away in a day of destruction as he might have done yet Christ is become more contemptible in their accounts then he was before 1. Where you find a spirit more senceless and stupid more sottish and secure then before such a one is really set at a greater distance from Christ then before Some there are it is much to be feared that having survived this day of distress begin now to look upon themselves as out of reach as if no future danger could possibly attend them growing hard hearted and exceeding secure after those dealings of the Lord under which they have fallen such Souls and Christ are farther apart then they were wont to be Isa 57.15 the Spirit of God tells you Christ dwells in the humble heart and with a broken Spirit Now according as you find a heart melted and broken and said low put into a tender frame so far Christ makes his approaches towards the Soul and comes to be esteemed by it but according as you find the spirits of men grow into a hardness insensibility and security by so much you may conclude Christ is set at a distance from and dis-esteemed by such Souls and O that there were not many sensible proofs of a very insensible Spirit in many poor Creatures who yet are allowed a being upon the Earth If that be allowed to be a sign of security which Christ himself tells us was a sign of it Mat. 24.38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the Ark and knew not till the flood came and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be observe it Noah was in his days a Preacher of Righteousness he warned the People of Judgement to come the People were exceeding stupid not in the least prevailed upon and what was a proof of it They were eating and drinking marrying and giving in marriage then at a more then ordinary rate therefore it was an argument what ever was said unto them or whatever God intended they were not much awakened If that were a sign of stupidity then so it is now surely and gives a great deal of reason to conclude that Christ hath not gotten but rather lost upon many of the hearts of those that have escaped 2. Where persons are more desperately and eagerly set upon their lusts there you may conclude Christ is become more contemptible then he was There is such a direct contrariety between sin and Christ that by how much the more a man grows in love with sin by so much the more he must grow out of love with Christ Rom. 8.7 The carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject unto the Law of God neither indeed can be Now by how much the more men grow more carnal by so much their enmity against Christ is increased and improved Sinne doth not onely harden mens hearts but it also blinds and shuts mens eyes and by how much the more a man plungeth himself in sin and gives up himself to the service of it by so much you may conclude his mind is blinded and his eyes shut from seeing that glory and beauty that is eminently found in the Lord Jesus Christ The more a man sets himself in the way of sin the more he is under the power of Satan and where Satan rules as a Prince what doth he 2 Cor. 4.4 the Apostle saith The God of this World he blinds the minds of men And from this you may gather if you can observe that men that are preserved this day their hearts are not in the least taken out of those ways of sin in which they did walk but are rather set with greater eagerness to fulfil the desires of the flesh and of the mind you may without breach of Charity conclude those persons are more blinded and less able to see any beauty and excellency in this Branch of the Lord then before Onely we will hope if this spirit be found upon any that it is but as the Apostle saith sometimes concerning the Jews Rom. 11.7 What then Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for but the Election hath obtained it and the rest were blinded We will hope that if there be any that are the more hardened and blinded by this gracious Dispensation of Preservation it is not the Elect that are blinded but those that are given up which the Lord intends not to look after in any gracious way We will hope for any that have any interest in the Lord Jesus that he hath not nor will leave them to such a spirit 3. If you find any more at enmity with the People of Christ then before you may conclude Christ is more contemptible in their eyes then he was before Mind not what men talk do not heed mens grasping after the name of Christians and talking of Christ as a Saviour but know that men may speak of Christ as the whole Nation
is our Law-giver the Lord is our King he will save us It relates unto a time when Christ shall be glorious The glorious Lord shall be as a place of Broad Rivers and Streams so you have it in the foregoing verse and then there shall be a cry The Lord is our King and he shall be our Law-giver For the present there is great debate between Christ and the Men of the World who should give Laws whose Prerogative it is to rule the Conscience and men say unto Saints Bow down that we may go over they say unto the SOULS of Saints Bow down But when Christ shall be made glorious these controversies shall soon end then a Nation shall come and acknowledge it is Christ is to rule them in every thing Isa 2. decides the Controversie where more then once it is said The Lord ALONE shall be exalted and what then vers 3. Many People shall go and say Come ye and let us go up unto the Mountain of the Lord to the House of the God of Jacob and he will teach us of his ways and we will walk in his paths for out of Sion shall go forth the Law and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem and he shall judge among the Nations and shall rebuke many People This is the Spirit that shall be put upon many People and they shall say It is not this and that and the other that pretends Dominion over the Conscience must teach us how to walk but HE will teach us and we will walk in his ways and it is out of Sion the Law shall go forth and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem therefore Numb 24.7 it is said Israel's King shall be higher then Agag and shall carry the day and all the men of the Earth shall be constrained to submit to him 4. Christ shall be glorious in this respect That all the Great Ones of the World shall come and fall at his Foot and acknowledge they are in his hands that Christ can and may dispose of them as he pleaseth It is a business there is much tugging about in the World the Great Ones of the World are loth Christ should take his place they would fain stand upon their own legs and it is from hence all their contrariety and hatred against his People and Ways doth arise intimated in Psal 2.3 The Kings of the Earth set themselves and the Rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his Anointed saying Let us break their Bands asunder and cast away their Cords from us They cannot think of stooping unto Christ but it is in vain for to this the greatest on Earth shall be brought therefore Christ hath his Name Rev. 19.16 He hath on his Vesture and on his Thigh a Name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS It is written upon his Vesture and Garments which is in the sight and full view of all Men He shall be in the sight of the World owned as KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS and the greatest upon Earth shall be constrained to stoop unto him as is excellently set forth in that typical Psalm Psal 72. where Christs Dominion is much held out The Kings of Tarshish and of the Isles shall bring Presents the Kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts yea all Kings shall fall down before him all Nations shall serve him 5. Again The Glory of Christ shall lie in the maintaining and excellent managing of his Power and Government he shall maintain his Government and Glory It is that that eclipses the glory of the Princes of this Earth that they are not able to keep their stations oft times but Christ shall keep and maintain and make good his ground Psal 132.18 His Enemies will I cloath with shame but upon himself shall the Crown flourish Those that would oppose him shall fall before him but he shall maintain his own station at a glorious rate And likewise his Glory shall be in the management of his Government he will put an end to Oppression and judge with Equity he will manage his Government so as that none shall find fault with him It is the misery of the Potentates of this World that their ill management of their Power loseth them their Glory but Christ and all that shall have any power under him shall not do so Isa 32.1 A King shall reign in Righteousness and Princes shall rule in Judgement all matters shall then be managed with much equity and uprightness Isa 11.1 c. is a notable Scripture for this There shall come forth a Rod out of the Stem of Jesse that is Christ the Spirit of the Lord and of Wisdom shall be upon him there is his Glory when he comes to govern he shall do things with wisdom that is Wisdom really for the Wisdom of this World comes to nothing and the ends of the Men of the World are not accomplished but Christ shall rule with Wisdom and also with Equity vers 4. With Righteousness shall he judge the Poor and reprove with Equity for the Meek of the Earth Now Christs thus managing of his Government will render him very glorious Which leads me to the fourth thing propounded Fourthly That Christ in his being glorious shall be glorious for the good of his People those of Israel that shall be carried thorow the distresses and straights they shall meet withal in the World they shall share in and partake of all the Glory of Christ with much comfort Psal 72.7 it is there said In his days shall the righteous flourish when it is well with him it shall not be ill with them So Isa 24. where it is said ver 23. Christ shall reign in Mount Zion and before his Antients gloriously and you shall see vers 16. how it will be with his People From the uttermost parts of the Earth have I heard Songs even Glory to the Righteous When Christ shall be glorified his People shall be glorified with him If the Saints say unto Christ as Joseph did unto Pharaoh's Butler Remeber me when it is well with thee their Desires shall be answered at a better rate then Joseph's were When Christ shall be made glorious in the World as he shall be one day he will not be one day without his Peoples reaping the good and benefit thereof and it must needs be thus for consider First the Union between Christ and his People Christ is the Head and Husband of his Saints And Civilians say Uxor lucet Mariti radiis the Wife partakes of the honour of her Husband so it shall be here the Saints shall partake of and reap the good of that honour that shall be upon the Head of Christ Christ is so full of love to his People that the very love he bears them were there no other tie would engage him to interest them in the good of his Glory Christ is the Head and his People are the Members and if the Head be dignified all the Members must