Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	according_a	act_v	action_n	159	3	6.2477	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A91476	Christian reformation: being an earnest perswasion to the speedy practise of it. Proposed to all, but especially designed for the serious consideration of my dear kindred and country-men of the county of Cork in Ireland, and the people of Reigat and Camerwell in the county of Surry. / By Richard Parr A.M. pastor of Camerwell in Surry.	Parr, Richard, 1617-1691.	1660 (1660)	Wing P545; Thomason E1749_2; ESTC R209662	151,065	320

or woman yet thou hast heard often the word of faith and love and charity and patience and meekness humility and God doth expect some fruits of that word Hast thou exercised these graces and brought them forth in action doest thou believe and act according to that word of grace do the fruits of the Spirit appear in thy conversation yet if not hitherto hast thou been unprofitable 't is all cast away upon thee what God hath done to thee then hast thou received the grace of God in vain I advise thee as young as thou art to repent thee heartily S. 155. and bewail thy former barrenness and lay thy heart and set thy self to the practice of all good duties be much in prayer self-denial and frequent acts of piety and devotion and shew thy charity and goodness to those that are in distress what thou art able and hast opportunity It may be thou art a man or woman of full years S. 156. and art of a longer standing it may be twenty thirty fourty fifty sixty years thou hast all this while enjoyed the plentifull meanes of grace and so long hath God been bearing with thee still expecting from thee somewhat of all that beneficence of his toward thee and now at last coming to thee and findes no fruit on thee onely a few leaves of profession may he not say in high displeasure never fruit grow on thee more henceforth by this time thou mightest have been strong and well rooted in faith abundant in charity and well knowing in the things of God and of thy own soul able by thine own experience and example to instruct the younger by this time thou mightest have been able to resist the strongest temptations and have understood the wiles of Satan and deceitfulness of sin have been sufficiently guarded from their prevalencies by this time thou mightest have overcome the world and have been crucified to all the worldly pleasures honors riches and have had thy love delight and happiness placed on God and Heaven long ere this hour of the day of thy life hadst thou not been unfaithfull to thy Lord and Master Christ and unfruitfull under the meanes of grace mightest thou have been one prompt and ready to and zealous of good works and thy life might have been an ornament to the Gospel and the doctrine of our Saviour in all things of piety and charity Titus 2.10 and thou thy self a shining light holding forth the word of life and faith in all manner of good works Phil. 2.16 Mat. 5.16 as becometh Christianity to the glory and praise of Gods free grace towards thee but is it so with thee or not hast thou continued all this while as at first unfruitfull Try thy heart and wayes S. 157. and if thou hast profited and laboured in the things of religion piety charity humility righteousness sobriety bless God for it goe on to perfection and give not out to the last moment being never weary of well-doing abounding alwayes in the work of the Lord Gal. 6.9 1. Cor. 15.58 2 Cor. 7.1 Heb. 12.1 2. perfecting holiness in the fear of God lay aside every weight and run the rest of your race before you with patience looking to Jesus the author and finisher of your faith believing that your labour shall not be in vain in the Lord. But if hitherto thou hast been unfruitfull then let the consideration of it prick thee to the heart repent repent thee speedily for all thy unfruitfulness and barrenness and redeem thy time for all is lost and thy soul will be lost for ever if thou repent not of this sin even this of unfruitfulness and henceforth learn to doe well and apply thy heart withall to bring fruit unto the Lord even the fruit of his care and Gospel-mercies in Christ unto thy soul Doe not slight this admonition and warning 't is from the Lord for thy good therefore see to it in time CHAP. VI. An Enumeration of more sins and wayes by which man offends God and contracts guilt to his soul of which he must be reformed I Have in the foregoing Sections given you a particular of some of the most gross and notorious fins S. 1. their names nature and condemnation all or any one of them if thou art guilty and meanest to live in will bring damnation to thy body and soul most certainly And there are many more sins then those mentioned which lay claim to Hell for their reward S. 2. which the holy book of God and the spirituall guides of thy soul if thou consult them would sufficiently instruct thee about how thou mayst either avoid and prevent them or repent and forsake them all though lying within thy heart thoughts words or actions for Gods Spirit would conduct thee also And further S. 3. things sometimes tolerably lawfull to be done may through circumstances time and place become unlawfull and a sin to thee if thou dost them and there are some things some persons may doe at some times in some cases which another may not doe without a sin nor the same person at another time or under another relation but it will be a fault It were easie to instance in examples of this kind but they would be a subject fit for determination of cases of Conscience which now I am not about yet this I would advise thee if thou meanest to walk circumspectly and exercise a good conscience always that in things doubtfull and disputable take the surest part that part of the question which is surely no sin for instance is dicing or carding lawfull or to wear black spots as the manner of some is or to put money to usury With some this may be a question but for my part I would thus resolve it that it may be unlawfull and a sin to play at cards or dice or to put on those strange fashions or to practise usury c. but not to play at either or with either at any time at all nor to lend upon usury nor to conform to the fantastical fashions of dressing is doubtless no sin and a wise soul would take the safest course and walk in the surest way and avoid all appearance of sin as well as all sins and he that doth not doe that that is shun as much as possible all appearance of evil transgresseth a Gospel-rule 1 Thess 5. ●2 Abstain from all appearance of evil There are also other sins which lie somewhat closer S. 4. that make not so great a noise nor so suddenly wast the conscience yet the amount of them may prove an eternal guilt and men may often flatter themselves into hell with them under pretence that they are but little ones and sins of infirmity onely which as men are apt to think have a certain divine indulgence waiting on them of course And indeed many foul and il-favoured sins S. 5. to which men give full consent and delight are choked with

any torments in Hell severe it is for the Hypocrites they shall have the greater damnation of Hell and when the Scripture would express an high degree of torments for the vilest sinners it saith they shall have their portion with Hypocrites Take heed therefore of this and remember I have warned thee from the Lord. § XVIII Apostasie If Hypocrisie be not repented of S. 109. and thou speedily reformed and changed from thy dissembling into a sincere honest devout heartiness in the belief and practice of godiness in the sight of God as well as outward appearance then it will not be long ere thou turn Apostate and become a Bankrupt as to all true religion and practise of Godliness after the will of God for the Hypocrites very form is quickly blown away with a breath of temptation worldly interest or false doctrine when the shew of religion will stand an Hypocrite in no stead for worldly advantage and a contrary opinion be of more easi attainment then the truth as it is in Jesus according to strict holiness inward and outward too then Hypocrisie will ease and empty it self into Apostasie for Apostasie is but Hypocrisie detected and brought forth The Apostle Paul to Timothy speaks of some that will fall away from the faith 1 Tim. 4.12 and give heed to seducing spirits and doctrine of devills and they are such as speak lies in Hypocrisie having their consciences seared first an Hypocrite and then a back-sliding Apostate When religion is not rooted in the heart S. 110. and bearts not fruit in the life of a professor all his flourish is but like the leaves of a tree in summer and his religion will fall as they doe in Autumn and come to dirt or nothing Mat. 13.21 it may dure for a time but because religion is not rooted and well grounded it dureth but for a while Luk. 8.13 for they fall away when temptation comes for a while they may believe and make profession but no longer will they then safely they may without prejudice to their outward safety worldly advantage and interest Now Apostasie is a cursed alienation of mind and affection from the truth and practice of godliness as it is in Christ S. 111. it is a departure from the truth in judgment or affection or conversation a leaving off to believe in Christ as thy Saviour and obeying and following Christ as thy Lord and example Apostasie is signified by the termes of turning away from the faith of the Gospel by falling away from the profession and practise of godliness by back-sliding and drawing back from a Christians former love and zeal for it and diligence in Religious performances after the rule and manner of the Gospel Isa 1.4 Jude v. 19. 1 Tim. 1.19 2 Tim. 2.18 Heb. 3.12 by forsaking and going away backward by separating from the Gospel Truth Rule and Order and making shipwreck of Faith and a good conscience erring from the Truth and departing from the Living God Apostasie taken any of these waies is a very great sin in whomsoever it be in the least degree S. 112. and if it be not speedily repented of and thy decaies and luke-warmeness amended and thou quickly make haste out of that indifferencie as to all or no Religion halting between God and Baal quickly will such an one fall into that state of Apostasie as is irrecoverable and dreadfull is that state God knows Heb. 6.4 5 6. It is impossible for those who were once enlightned and have tasted of the heavenly gift the good word of God if they fall away to renew them again to repentance seeing they crucifie to themselves the Son of God and put him to an open shame i. e. put the greatest indignity upon Christ and his Gospel as though he himself were an Impostor and his Gospel a lie And it is a sad Truth S. 113. that there are very many in these last daies who are come even to this pass even to this state and degree of Apostasie and of whom there is very little hope of recovery but a great deal of fear they will be Eternally damned for their Apostasie if God by his Almighty power and miracle of mercy doth not bring them to their right judgement mind will and affections again and so restore them Dreadfull is that sentence God shall send such as are declining from his Truth strong delusions S. 114. 2 Thes 2. v. 10.11 12. that they should believe a lie because they received not the love of the Truth that they might be saved they shall be damned who believe not the Truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness See how God nauseates and abhors the luke-warm professor in that Laodicean temper S. 115. which was a decaying of zeal and fervour in Religion and so but a lesser degree of Apostasie yet saith Christ I know thy works that thou hast a name that thou livest but art dead and that thou art neither cold nor hot because thou art neither cold nor hot I will spew thee out of my mouth Rev. 3. v. 1. cum v. 15 16 19. S. 116. be zealous therefore and repent And there is another remakable passage in the second Epistle of Peter 2 Pet. 2.20 21. which sets forth the nature and danger of Apostasie thus If after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledg of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ that is when a man hath embraced once the Truth of the Gospel and is in a way of reformation and amendment of Life according to the Rule of Faith and Life if such a man shall be entangled again and overcome that is look back and withdraw from Christs profession and practise of Religion and yield to the temptation to that cursed return to former infidelity and worldliness or any kind of vicious living again the latter end of them is worse then the beginning that is their sin is greater and their return by Repentance harder for it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness though this had been bad and damnable enough then after they have known it to turn from the holy Commandement delivered unto them Pro. 14.14 Pro. 1.30 31. For the backslider in heart he that is a fugitive from Wisdoms rules and godly conversation shall be filled with his own waies i. e. shall be requited accordingly they shall be answered in their own kind God will turn away his favour and love from them for God takes no pleasure in those that draw back from following after Truth Righteousness and Holiness Well then S. 117. be perswaded to look unto thy self in time art thou one that hast made some profession of Christianity and some progresse in Religion after Christ and art ingaged in Religious courses and hast tasted some sweetness in the waies of Godliness and resolved to frame thy faith and life according to the Scriptures Then take heed of

remembrance of his evil actings is not a holy harmless life spent in the exercise of purity and charity infinitely more to be desired for content and satisfaction were there nothing else to be found in the practise of godliness and vertues then what we find in themselves then in all the formes and modes in all or any the ways of vitiousness that can be named were there nothing else to be expected by way of punishment for my sinning then the enjoyment of the pleasures supposed to be in sin O then dear Christian let nothing keep thee back from leaving off every sinfull course nor from taking up the practise of holy living seeing nothing can bring true pleasure nor content unto thy soul untill thou be habitually imployed in the duties of religion and practise of godliness VI. Motive Finally S. 8. Let this be a Motive to cast off all thy wickedness immediately and forthwith to follow Jesus Christ in an entire imitation of his holiness in a godly affection and conversation forasmuch as God hath born long enough with thee already and thou hast lived long enough in thy sins already Oh do not live any longer or spend any more of thy time to the will of the stesh but to the will of God for the time past of our life may suffice to have wrought the will of the Gentiles when we walked in lasciviousnesse excesse of wine and other sins 't is enough dear soul 't is enough and too much that we have done foolishly 't is high time to cease to do evil and to learn to do well and likewise consider what an honest how honorable how pleasant how profitable and how comely a thing it is to live a godly holy and heavenly life Oh let it never be said of thee that thou chusest thine own undoing by refusing to do what God requires of thee seeing all that God doth ask of thee and what ever is here exhorted to is for thine own eternall good glory and endlesse happinesse And therefore to conclude S. 9. I do in the name of Christ exhort thee Reader to be mindfull of thine own concernments and if there be any thing herein which if you follow to do would prejudice thy salvation then do it not but if the things here exhorted to that is a speedy through reformation in heart and life be of absolute necessity if thou meanest to be saved eternally then upon pain of damnation and as thou hopest to see Christ in glory and to be glorified with him do not forget to put it into speedy execution lest when you would if now you refuse you may not it may be too late or not accepted I beseech thee therefore S. 10. precious soul if there be in thee any hope of consolation from God if any love to Christ and thine own soul Rom. 12.1 if any mercy or tenderness of compassion toward thine own soul ready to be undone by reason of sin then think on these things Eph. 4.22.23 24. and accordingly I beseech thee therefore by the mercies of God that you be no more conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you put off concerning your former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your minds And that you put on the new man which afier God is created in righteousness and true holiness so shall you prevent eternal damnation and through the mercies of God in Christ obtain everlasting salvation which damnation cannot be avoided nor this salvation ever attained without a sound entire timely holy reformation which is the summe and finall conclusion of this my earnest perswasion by all those foregoing arguments in this first part the rest shall be set in order for thee in due time when this shall be so well proved as that by renouncing all thy sins thou wilt be in that blessed frame and serious Resolution to devote thy self to a godly course of holy living and therein to abide with God to THE END