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	lord_n	zion_n	107	3	9.1180	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25829	A tryall of faith, or, The woman of Canaan on Math. 15, 21, 22, 23, 24 : together with the souls sure anchor-hold, on Heb. 6, 19 : with the wisdome of timely remembring our creator, on Eccles. 12, 1 : in severall sermons / by Timothy Armitage.	Armitage, Timothy, d. 1655.	1661 (1661)	Wing A3704; ESTC R26657	267,236	470

do greatly provoke the Lord Christ and loose all they do though men could walk as exactly as the very Angels yet if that exactness should draw them to place any trust any confidence in their observations and humility they loose all their labour for Christ tells his Disciples in Matth. 5. 20. That except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees you shall in no wise enter into the kingdome of heaven Except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees they went a great way in self righteousness they walked very strictly and very precisely ah but you must have another kind of righteousness a righteousness that must be beyond theirs they placed their righteousness in their doings in their observations and inventions but except your righteousness exceed theirs you shall in no wise enter into the Kingdome of Heaven The Devil he will allow men to go a great way in such paths of self-righteousness to do a great deal to suffer a great deal to carry it very humbly and very strictly and seem to be the most mortified men living if the Devil can but draw them off from Christs righteousness thereby and place their righteousness in this he care not how far they go for the Devil knows that this will never mortifie the deeds of the flesh whatsoever is of mans setting up will never mortifie the deeds of the flesh but as I said before men may live very strictly fast and pray and yet be far from mortifying the deeds of the flesh it may be so far from mortifying the deeds of the flesh that it may strengthen the flesh and corruption get strength while men seem to walk in such a way of seeming mortification yea the strength of the body may be spent in seeming mortification and the corruption unmortified But to reflect a little by way of Application Oh that this might be a warning piece to us to take heed that we do not exalt any thing of man in the room of Christ take heed we do not exalt our rule above Christs Rule that we do not form rules to our selves to walk by and to worship by and decline the Rule and Institutions and Ordinances of Christ There are two sorts of people that are and will be found guilty of this who shall not injoy the presence of the Lord for Christ will depart from such a people First Such as set up outward formes of their own in opposition to Christs Form there have been such a generation of men in this Land and still there are who hath such Idols in their hearts who set up their form above Christs Form Christ hath left a Rule and Christ hath given his Form and his Institutions which must be observed till his coming but now when men shall bring in their own inventions and traditions their own superstitious ceremonies into the worship of Christ which Christ hath not commanded this is a great provocation to the Lord and such a people cannot injoy the spiritual presence of Christ for ●ait● Christ Go teach and observe what I have commanded you and loe I am with you to the end of the world So long as a people cleave to Christs Institutions so long they are under the Promise of Christ but they that shall go from this are not under the Promise of Christ 2. And then again there are those that will be found setting up something of their own in the stead of Christs Rule while they pretend that they have another rule then the Word to walk by the other is more gross and carnal but this more spiritually wicked I say when men shall pretend to have another rule to walk by that they have the Spirit of the Lord to be their rule to teach them and they shall not look to the rule of the Scripture not look to any rule without them truly both these sorts of men will be found to set up their own rule above Christs Rule And oh how dangerous is it and as I said before so again and oh that it might be remembred It is a pulling Christ out of his Throne for men to decline his Rule the rule of his Word which he hath given them to walk by and decline his Ordinances and pretend to walk by a rule that is within them truly they exalt something of their own above Christ and let it be remembred what the Lord threatens to such as will not hear the great Prophet Deut. 18. 15. and 19. The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee of thy brethren like unto me unto him ye shall hearken V. 19. And it shall come to passe that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name I will require it of him He that will not take the rule from Christs mouth he that will not walk by that rule that Christ hath left in his Word to walk by but shall take another rule though the pretence be never so high and spiritual the Lord hath said that such a soul shall be cu● off the Lord will not afford his presence Christ will not continue his presence with such a people as shall exalt any invention above Christs Rule the rule of the Word But it may be that they will say They do not exalt any thing of their own we are mistaken of that no it i● only the Spirit of Christ that they exalt it is the Spirit of Christ that is their rule to walk by and they are not bound to attend to any rule whatsoever that is without them but to walk by the rule of the Spirit of God that is within them To whom I say it is a great mistake that the Spirit of the Lord in us should be a rule for us to walk by the Spirit is not the rule the Spirit is given to open the rule the Spirit is given to shine upon the rule to declare the rule but the Spirit of the Lord is not the rule It is true indeed we cannot know the rule at least in the spiritual nature of it till the Spirit of the Lord doth open it as a man cannot see what time of day it is by the Sun-dyall till the Sun shine upon it ah but the Dyall is the rule And so it is a great mistake while men think that the Spirit is the rule when as the Word of the Lord is the rule to the Law and to the testimony if any man walk not according to this rule And so Christ tells his Disciples that the Spirit is not given to manifest and discover any new thing but what Christ hath laid dow● in his Word look into John 16. 13. Howbeit when the Spirit of truth is come he will guide you into all truth for he shall not speak of himself but whatsoever he shall hear that shall he speak and he will shew you things to come Mark how clear it is that the

he called for all his children Gen. 49. he called them one by one and prayed for a special blessing to be upon their heads Parents are bound to remember their children and children many times miscarry because parents are no more in doing their duty no more crying to the Lord in the behalf of their children and so back again children are bound to remember their parents And so in the relation of Masters and servants Masters are bound to pray for their servants you know that instance of the Centurion he came to Jesus in the behalf of his servant and was very earnest with Christ that Christ would be pleased to heal his servant this is a duty that is little performed by many Masters they think if they can have their servants to work for them it is all that they have to look after but let such Masters know that God will require an account of servants souls have you instructed them and have you presented them often in your prayers before the Lord the Centurion came for the body of his servant and it is our duty to come often to the Lord for the souls of our servants and so back again it is the duty of servants to pray for their Masters And thus you see the fourth particular That it is our duty to remember all our relations before the Lord. There is one relation more and that is our Spiritual relation which I shall touch before I end that particular such as stand in relation one to another in Church-society they are bound often to remember one anothers conditions before the Lord James 5. 14 15 16. Confess your faults one to another and pray one for another yea in Church-societies it is especially the duty of Pastors and Elders to remember their flock and it is the duty of the people to remember their Elders and to pray often to the Lord in their behalf Faithful Ministers are bound often to pray for their people remember what is said of Paul Rom. 1. 9. For God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of his son that without ceasing I make mention of you alwayes in my prayers When ever he came to God he was mindful of the Church I am alwayes mindfull of you without ceasing and indeed the profiting of a people and the stedfastness of a people in the faith and in the truth and in the wayes of God it is the glory and the crown and the joy and rejoycing of a faithful Teacher and therefore surely it is their duty often to remember their people before the Lord and so it is the peoples duty to remember their Pastor and Teacher The Apostle lays it upon them as their duty Ephes 6. 18 19. Praying alwayes with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all Saints and for me that utterance may be given unto me that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mysterie of the Gospel It is your duty saith he to pray for all Saints and for me in particular that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mysterie of the Gospel for many times Satans great design is to overthrow them that the Lord hath set to go before his people Satans great design is to hinder the work of God in their hand to make such to fall and therefore the Lords people had need to pray the more earnestly for even the best of the Teachers and Preachers of the Gospel they are but empty pipes in themselves and can afford no more then the Lord is pleased to drop in from above and therefore there is need that the Lord should be dropping in continually or else they cannot bring forth bread in due season and make provision for the people if the Lord do not fill them from heaven yea the best of Teachers have need of teaching though they know never so much they have need of more knowledge they have need of more strength and therefore it is the duty of the people to remember them before the Lord that the Lords Vrim and Thummim may be with them Thus in all relations it is our duty mutually to remember one another before the Lord. Fifthly it is our duty to remember those that for the present are strangers to Christ You will say what are we to pray for such as have not the knowledge of God yea it is our duty to remember them if the Lord hath been pleased to make us to differ and called us out from the number of those Gentiles who know not God oh we are bound to pity them and to pray for them whose condition is such as never was rained upon as the heath in the desert their condition is sad and we should remember them before the Lord that God would send forth his light and truth to them that they that deny Christ in word in profession and conversation that they may be brought home to the knowledge of the Son of God Psal 67. 1 2. God be merciful unto us and bless us and cause his face to shine upon us That thy way may be known upon earth thy saving health among all Nations There are many Nations and great Nations that to this day know not God and Christ that sit in darkness and perish for want of vision and truly they who through free-grace do know any thing of God they are bound to pity them that sit in darkness and to pray that the Nations may know the saving truth and the way of the Lord. Sixthly if it be a duty to pray for those that are strangers to Christ then it is a duty to pray for those that are Christs friends for all that know the Lord and love the Lord in sincerity Ephes 6. 18. Praying alwayes with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all Saints It is our duty to remember all Saints to remember them that are scattered to remember them that are gathered all Saints we should remember them in our prayer before the Lord and especially Jerusalem Sions Assemblies they should be remembred Psal 122. 6 7. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem they shall prosper that love thee Peace be within thy wals and prosperity within thy palaces You see Jerusalem Sions Assemblies in a special manner should be remembred by us in our addresses to the Lord. And so Psalm 14. you may see how the Psalmist doth express himself in the behalf of Sion Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Sion oh that the Lord would hasten the time that he will save his people and Sion be remembred and built up Oh that the time were come And in Psal 51. he doth express that when he had been praying for himself yet he did not forget Sion Psal 51. 18. Do good in thy good pleasure unto Sion build thou the walls of Jerusalem So that you see that hath been spoken

us on to our duty you heard how Job worshipped and how Jonah worshipped and Christ worshipped in an Agony in the midst of affliction accompanied with great temptations O that we might look up to God to teach us this duty that we may be ready to fall down and worship as Job was when the evil tydings came that all was taken from him be falls down and worshipped and blesses the Name of God O! Know that we have need then to be pouring out our souls before the Lord and to be crying as this woman did Lord help if ever we had need to cry then Lord help when affliction is upon us especially accompanied with temptations men and Angels cannot help we had need to cry Lord help But you will say what is it that we should cry for to the Lord at such a time It is our duty to worship and to be pouring out supplications but what is it that God expects that his people should cry for in time of affliction and temptation Briefly thus We should cry That the Lord would discover the cause of that affliction and that tryal which the Lord doth exercise his people with Truly it is not without cause and therefore it is not without cause that God doth afflict us if need be you are in temptation it is not without cause and therefore it is our wisdom and duty to cry to the Lord that he would discover to us why it is thus with us to know what is his minde and will towards us what God aims at whether for correction or tryal or for exercise wait upon the Lord to know what is his end it is an addition to our affliction when as our way is hid and God's way towards us is hid and we know not what God intends therefore we should be much in this request fall down and worship him and desire the Lord to shew us the cause what is his end in this affliction this tryal and temptation Secondly Fall down and worship and pray that the Lord would take away the sting of affliction the sting is sin the sting of death is sin and the sting of all lesser deaths affliction is sin therefore pray that the Lord would take away the sting pray that he would not correct us in wrath and that he would not chasten us in his sore displeasure that was David's request Psal 6. 1. that the affliction might not be accompanied with the Lord's displeasure but that the face of the Lord may be towards us and the comforting presence of the Lord with us in affliction we should cry that the Lord would take away the sting and that his presence may be with us in affliction that he would not leave us in the fiery furnace alone but according to his promise would be with us when we go thorow the fire and water Thirdly We should cry That the Lord would make us willing to bear our affliction what-ever it be that he would make our spirits submissive to him that should be the great request of a gracious heart that the Lord would make our spirits submissive unto him O! What a gracious frame of spirit was David in when he was driven out from Jerusalem by his son Absalom 2 Sam. 15. 25. The Priests would have brought the Ark after him No saith he Carry back the Ark of God into the City If I shall finde favour in the eyes of the Lord he will bring me again and shew me both it and his habitation But if he thus say I have no delight in thee behold here am I let him do to me as seemeth good unto him Here was a gracious submissive frame of spirit under a great affliction if the Lord will use me no longer as an instrument and I must Reigne no longer let the Lord chuse what instrument he pleaseth and do with me what seemeth good unto him O! Beg that God would give us a submissive frame of heart that when the Lord leads us into any affliction we may be found submitting to the Will of God Fourthly We should beg of the Lord That He would strengthen us to bear our affliction that he would enable us to grapple with our Temptations and so to bear our affliction that we may be no dishonour to his Name so to bear our affliction as we may be to his praise Surely the least affliction will crush us if we have no other strength then our own we shall be soon crusht when under temptation O! We had need cry Lord help we had need cry that the Lord would put under everlasting Armes to bear up the spirit and to enable us so to carry it as we may be an honour to Christ Fiftly When we fall down and worship Beg that the Lord would give a sanctified use of the affliction or temptation whatsoever it be Our spirits should be breathing after a holy improvement of all God's dispensations especially these dispensations of great afflictions or temptations truly as you heard before it is not in affliction it self to do this we cannot profit by it if the Lord doth not teach and therefore we had need go to him and cry to him that he would give a sanctified use that he would make affliction attain its end that he would bore our ear to instruction and correction that we may hear the rod and him that hath appointed it that he would carry on his own work and would make use of this affliction for the subduing of our corrupt nature making us partakers of his Divine Nature Thus we should fall down and worship and beg that God would give us a sanctified use of all afflictions And know Brethren that we shall never have ease nor rest in our spirits till we be brought into this posture we shall be in a woful turmoyl and perplexity as Noahs Dove that found no rest till it came into the Ark so we shall finde no rest till God brings us into this frame bow the spirit and cause it to fall down and worship in time of affliction there will be no sanctified use of affliction never expect any good by affliction till God bring the spirit into this posture to fall down and worship as Job and Jonah and Christ did that is an argument that the affliction is working the right way when as the spirit is thus subdued to God now it is working for good certainly God will make a good end with that soul when it is brought thus to fall down and worship the Lord to fear and love and trust and submit to him and to pray and praise to speak to God and to speak well of God in time of affliction Now the Physick works kindly and the Lord is engaged by his word that this shall work together for good even all afflictions when it thus works you may have assurance of it that all shall work together for good God will make a good end as he did with Job and you may be sure that