Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	accompany_v	word_n	zion_n	23	3	9.1543	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A23717	Forty sermons whereof twenty one are now first publish'd, the greatest part preach'd before the King and on solemn occasions / by Richard Allestree ... ; to these is prefixt an account of the author's life.; Sermons. Selections	Allestree, Richard, 1619-1681.; Fell, John, 1625-1686.	1684 (1684)	Wing A1114; ESTC R503	688,324	600

such as yet leave all to him to do so far that he were a Fanatic as to worldly interests who without endeavoring in the use of means should look that God would work out his ends for him give bread without sowing nourish without eating notwithstanding that Scripture dos ascribe to God the intire efficacy shall the like expressions in the order of grace leave nothing for the Christian to do especially when the same endeavors are commanded him too I know not whether these expressions made to us to turn our felves c. do make more Pelagians that deny all need of grace or else ascrib'd to God make more deny all need of our endeavors even of our praiers or of any thing but more dependance waiting for his season Whereas indeed we are to work because he works and gives means to enable us and not to use the means he gives us is to temt him 't is to refuse Salvation by the ordinary methods of his workings expect new miracle 't is to be that fanatic that dos look to live without food 'T is gospel truth to say it is not the direction of Gods laws can rule us nor his promises allure us nor his threats affright us but his Holy spirit must direct and rule our hearts Coll. 19. Sun aft Trin. and he must write his laws there Heb. 8. 10. and he must give us a heart to love and dread him To affirm the other is heresy and to say that a sinner can dispose himself for his conversion or that the outward means can by their own moral efficacy turn a sinner is an heresy against grace but grace where it hath not been too far resisted still accompanies the means Gods word is the ministration of the Spirit and of rightousness and his word and Spirit go together Acts 7. 51. for to resist one is to resist the other And if the heart be not by evil education bad converse and example great advancers these of reprobation deprav'd either hardened or made dissolute or overgrown with principles that choak all God's good seed that can be sown in it those means so assisted call attention work some disposition to regard them The ordinariest means are blest to that end Prov. 23. 14. thou shalt heal him with the rod and deliver his soul from hell Yea they do it tho the force of good education have been broken when these gracious means find congruous soft seasons lay hold on occasions of calamity or such like and they move the inclinations and so make soile prepar'd for God's husbandry And since experience shews us mere Gentile breeding and converse if there be but care and parts can temper take off at least moderate all insolence and passion make men generous and meek and humble decent as to all behavior towards God and man not one ill vicious habit in their practise but an universal probity upon the face of their whole life why therefore may not those beginnings of God's workings which he never fails to carry on for his part do as much And if they but keep off ill habits and by constant practise weaken inclinations to them here 't is plain that God's means of grace find not so much resistance and that which in another state of mind would not have been sufficient there becomes effectual especially when with them that work he works and as S. James says gives more grace to them that use it and diverts temtations enables to do all things thro Christ that strengthens O that the Christian would but try and strive to use his means as heartily as the Child of this world It is because men are not so industrious for salvation answer not the motions of God's Spirit but neglect grace given when the worldly man is indefatigable in and therefore is wiser in order to his end Yet in relation to their proper means in order to their several ends I must confess the worldling does observe the rules of prudence better the true child of this world for the most part chuseth the prescribed known waies to his end and do's use the general means and methods of the world gets into a profession or a place in which if he use false arts they are trades now mysteries well taught and known there are few adventure on untrodden paths Projectors seldom thrive But the generality of Christians who would gladly reconcile God and this world life hereafter with the being well here do not therefore acquiesce in Gods means only but make Principles by-Rules of Conscience which they guide themselves by on occasions and have taught themselves to think they are safe waies and such as do not lead them from salvation It is too well known what one sort of men have attemted in this case how by new-rais'd principles of Probability and directing the intention they have reconcil'd all villany with Christian life made it safe yea meritorious to lye forswear and bear malice to defame revenge by either force or treachery rebel massacre drown whole Nations in their own bloud depose or murder Kings But passing these as monsters in Religion honest heathen humanity there are pretenders to some tolerable regard of God and vertue who on occasions fit their conscience to their convenience Besides S. Pauls good Conscience void of offence to God and man there is one of gentility of Politics of Honour of friendship and a conscience for persons times and places one of compliance and one of the mode one for the interests of a Profession and the like I might have nam'd some quite the other way the Conscience that is rul'd by rouling changeable Principles which play fast and loose now strains at Gnats and now can swallow camels or a Conscience of caprice that sets it self strong suddain heats of nice observances somtimes in little things somtimes in greater but is firm in nothing But waving these and that for Politics too which is govern'd wholly by reasons of State which is too nice and high for my consideration the man of honor makes himself a Principle which will allow him to require reparations for the least affront so call'd for otherwise what Gentleman would be of Christ's Religion he can right himself with sword and pistol and with a good Conscience The conscience for friendship is like that of Chilon whom I mention'd to you hath a by-rule And indeed who is there almost that hath the same sentiments or laws for equity and justice in his own cause or the cause of those he is most concern'd for as in others They mesure not by the same standard do not think in conscience the same case is like when it makes against as when it serves a turn As for persons so for times We have one conscience for the time of health and one for sickness Things do not equally seem good or evil in their different seasons And as for places ut vestitum sic sententiam aliam domesticam aliam forensem saith the

four daies together and neglected all their husbandry resolving not to till their land or to provide for life when they had once determin'd thus to die Upon this Petronius undertakes to write to Caesar and dissuade him from the enterprise but Caius answers that his letter with another which commands Petronius for the punishment of his not executing his commands to kill himself resolving also to exterminate the Nation but before his letter came to Syria to Petronius the notice of the death of Caius came Thus God did then preserve both him and them tho at that time a Nation guilty of the death of Christ yet in a cause wherein they were resolv'd to suffer any thing rather then disobey Gods Law so grossly he was pleas'd to spare them and continue to preserve them As for the Christians I might instance in the care God took soon after most expressely and miraculously to call them all out of Jerusalem when the Romans were preparing to sit down before it and destroi'd it utterly and in all the persecutions particularly that of Diocletian when that destruction that was level'd at and falling on all Christianity was in a trice return'd upon the Designers and on Heathenism It might be a more parallel instance to the genius of these later ages should I name that of the Arrians men that were the first that ever drew the sword of persecution against their fellow Christians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was their petition to Constantius a copy which the Church of Rome hath long writ after with the bloud of those that differ from them And indeed the Arrian persecutions were most barbarous yet when had don all he could had made the Universe saith St Jerome all Arrian by having banisht almost all the Catholic Bishops of the world then very quickly God restores them even by a Julian an Apostate and then when shortly after Valens the same again himself repenting of it did revoke them lastly Theodosius restor'd them and establisht all And tho afterwards God let the Goths continue both the heresy and somtimes the persecution for above two Ages in our western world yet since that for the last thousand years the name of Arrian hath scarce bin heard But I have said enough to shew such is the ordinary method of Gods Providential workings when Sion is in that condition provided that the Church have not deprav'd it self as 't is a Church model'd it self by worldly principles and powers and adopted rules or doctrines which are not consistent with those of Christ. There are few instances to be produc'd I think where any Church hath bin destroi'd whole constitution hath preserv'd this temper tho her wicked and ungracious members may be cut off at last as St Peter tells after it hath suffer'd a while he will strengthen stablish settle it And if we look upon the low condition of our Sion together with these instances of Gods procedure may we not take confidence to hope that the appointed time is come For is it not time for Thee to arise O Lord when thy resting place is destroying And thou O Christ who art the Rock on which the Church is built is it not time for thee to awake to rise rebuke the Tempests break the waves that break into thy Church and threaten as if they would swallow all that 's built on Thee the Rock of Ages It is most certainly provided we have those affections which the text sets down here as the diagnostics of that time of which in the last place The first is this thy servants think upon her stones with sorrow and sincere acknowledgment that their demerits call'd this state upon her and they therefore willingly receive accept of Gods dealing with them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they take pleasure in it It is observ'd that this was the express condition upon which God covenanted to shew mercy on his People Levit. 26. From v. 14. to the end we find that if they should arrive at that height to abhor Gods Statutes break all his Commandments merit all his curses and he should inflict them and yet they go on still to walk contrary to him and he overtake them still with plagues yea and this thro all the stages both of sin and punishment and each stage of punishment seven times multiplied v. 18 21 24 28. so as to leave no more place for access yet if then they confess their iniquity and their uncircumcized hearts be humbled if then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they accpt of willingly contentedly receive the punishment of their iniquity v. 41. I will not case them away neither will I abhor them to destroy them utterly and to break my Covenant with them v. 44. but will remember my Covenant and I will remember the Land v. 42. and remember Sion also if we have the like sentiments for Sion if her low condition if her stones in the dust truly humble us into that dust and make us from the heart acknowledg Thou O Lord art just in all that is come upon and hovers over us for thou hast don right but we have don very wickedly for we have walkt unworthy of the opportunities thou hast afforded us have bin unfruitful under the whole latitude of all thy working methods the Kingdom of God hath had no Obedience nothing but Rebellion from us and t is just it should be taken from us be given to a Nation bringing forth the fruits thereof and have our candlestic remov'd since we hate light our deeds are so evil 'T is just that we who heapt our selves Teachers according to our factions and lusts should be given up to strong delusions have a lying Spirit in the mouth of our Prophets Prophets that should daub with untemper'd mortar such as never will cement the stones of Sion or build up a Church that we who have debaucht the Reformation should quite loose it The present time does certainly suggest the practice which is set aside for great humiliation and the occasion does require it both the commands and the necessities too of the Church expect it God also calls for mourning for stricter applications to him on behalf of Sion and then they that do not answer all these calls by doing somthing more then ordinary do not think upon the stones of Sion neither does it pity them to see her in the dust 't is certainly not time for God to arise in their behalf they are sufficient to divert his preparations for her No O Lord we will put our hands upon our mouths and our mouths into the dust and acknowledg righteousness belongeth unto thee but to us confusion of face as at this day and we resolve to humble our selves under thy correcting hand how sharp soever and take pleasure in it too thus far that dost shew by thy castising us thou hast not given us over as incorrgible but hast taken us into thy care and discipline and managery and on