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	spiritual_a	zion_n	23	3	9.2450	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A41846	The spiritual warfare, or, Some sermons concerning the nature of mortification, right exercise, and spiritual advantages thereof whereunto are added other two sermons, concerning the mystery of contentment : being the substance of ten sermons never heretofore printed / by Mr. Andrew Gray, late minister of the gospel at Glasgow.	Gray, Andrew, 1633-1656.	1672 (1672)	Wing G1619A; ESTC R32457	107,606	272

of sin but to desist also from the first motions and lusts of sin There is this lastly a Christian would be much in the exercise of prayer for that spirit who convinceth the world of sin that what you do not know as of your selves he who is the great convincer of the world may imprint those convictions upon your souls which may make you sit down and bewail your selves in the bitternesse of your spirit And we shall at this time shut up our discourse only we would say to these who are entertaining this holy warfare against their corruptions that they would not be much discouraged though they see not sensible victory you must know that sin must be with you while you have a being we may certainly allude unto that word Dan. 7. 12. and may say that the dominion of your sins shall be taken a way though their lives shall be prolonged for a time and for a season As likewayes we would say this for your encouragment who have your corruptions stirring most within you that ordinarily Sathan when he is in the way to remove then stirreth and acteth most as it is observed that the last beating of the pulse in a dying man is most strong so the beating of corruption when it is going to be cast out may be most violent And we shall only give the reason why Christians are not much affected with this that the day is coming when once they shall prevail over their corruptions and shall tread Sathan under their feet why the feet of those who bring such glad tyding are not beautiful upon the mountains And we conceive that it doth either proceed from this that Christians are not seriously engaged in this holy warfare for that is most certain that if you were fighting day by day then the hope of victory and of a blessed issue would be as glad tyding from a far country and should be as cold water unto a thirsty soul that though your hope were deferred untill your hearts were sick yet the accomplishment of your desires should be sweet to your souls or else it doth proceed from this that Christians do not believe this truth that there is an issue and period of their fight if once you could be brought this length to seal this truth that that victory shall be once heard in heaven Speak comfortably to Ierusalem for her warfare is accomplished if we may allude unto these words or if a Christian be seriously debating with his lusts and hath also the faith of this truth in some measure then it doth proceed lastly from this want of the distinct perswasions of our interest and want of the assurance of our peace with him for as long as a Christian is under debate concerning his eternal rest he cannot be much affected with joy under the declaration of these means that there is a period of their fight and that they who have been made partakers of the first resurrection over them the second death shall have no power O! what a blessed day suppose ye shall that be when your feet shall stand within the gate of the new Jerusalem when you shall receive these two precious badges and eternal trophies of your victory a crown put upon your head of infinit more value than all material crowns and a palm put in your hand We conceive it is impossible to determine what joy will accrue to a Christian upon the reflect thoughts of this that he hath trode Sathan under his feet and hath bruised the head of him who hath so oft bruised his heel And as for those who are strangers as the most part of us are unto this spiritual warfare be convinced of this that within threescore and fewer years God shall enter into an eternal warfare with you where there shall be no cessation of armes neither shall there be any interruption It is better to fight with your lusts than to fight with a living and eternal God when he shall declare himself to be your opposite and enemy Man once was made perfect but he did find out many inventions and amongst all those inventions he found that accursed one how there might be a separation betwixt him and the living God and except He whose name is Prudence and hath found out the knowledge of many witty inventions had found out that precious invention of reconciling sinners unto God we should have been Magor Missabib terrors to our selves O! that you might be perswaded once to contend with your lusts that ye may endure the heat of the day and the cold of the night in wrestling against sin know this that sin goeth not out but by fasting and prayer it is so straitly united unto us it is easier for a camel to passe thorow the eye of a needle than for many of us to mortifie our corruptions We shall shut up all that we would say in this one word be perswaded of this that the day is approaching and near at hand when our blessed Lord Iesus shall come with ten thousands of his Saints what if this were the day O unmortified sinners that ye should behold that white Throne Fixed in the clouds and ye should have a summons given into your hands without continuation of dayes to appear before his Tribunal What could ye answer when ye are reproved Would not silence and confession be your best desence Certainly there is an eternal curse to be pronunced against those who do not exercise themselves unto this precious act of Godlinesse of crucifying the flesh with the lusts and affections thereof There is a law of death over your head and there is a law of sin which is within your hearts and ye shall be eternally subjects unto these two Laws except the Law of the spirit of life do make you free SERMON V. Gal. 5. 24. And they that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts THe walk of a Christian who hath Christ in him the hope of glory is most sublime and it being from spiritual principles for spiritual ends is also according to a spiritual rule The walk of a Christian is from faith and love in Iesus Christ as that predominant principle nay more from the spirit of Christ living in the soul of a Christian by faith and dwelling in it by love which is that primum mobile and first wheel of all its motions as likewise it is for a spiritual end it being for the glory of God and to subordinate unto this their own salvation and advantage they are not like Ephraim empty vines bringing forth fruit unto themselves but it is their design to make Christ all and themselves nothing though it be natural unto a man to deifie himself and to make himself the first Alpha of his actings and the last Omega of all his performances as likewise it is according to a spiritual rule it being conformed unto that precious word of life which is perfect in it self and leadeth man unto perfection But this

saved and obtain this crown of life which is the great encouragment of a Christian in this exercise Likewayes the grace of watchfulnesse is exercised in this blessed warfare for watchfulnesse if so we may speak is the centinel of the Christian that standeth upon the watch-tower and giveth warning unto a Christian of the motions of his adversary watchfulnesse warneth us when first corruption begins to stirre So the grace of love is much exercised in this blessed warfare for a Christian where he beholds that divine and unsearchable compassion of Jesus Christ which he exerciseth towards it in upholding it under its straits that when the archers shoot at him and do grievously wound him that yet his bow should abide in its strength this makes the grace of love to burn and live within a Christian. And lastly the grace of Prayer is much exercised in this blessed warfare for when faith begins to die and hope begins to losse its courage when watchfulnesse begins to sleep and love begins to be remisse and to wax cold then prayer as a flying Cherub doth go to the Captain of our salvation and desireth that he might help them in the day of their need prayer is the sweet correspondent of the Christian betwixt heaven and earth prayer stayeth upon the Mount with Christ when faith and watchfulnesse are in the field with our corruptions and lusts that are in us and we shall only say this by the way I know not whether a Christian be more obliged to Jesus Christ for justification than for sanctification but we conceive it is better to conjoyn those together than to compare them one with another There is this third advantage that a Mortifying Christian hath such a Christian doth most ordinarily meet with most divine solace and intimate communion and fellowship with God such a Christian is admitted to taste of the honey out of the rock and to be satisfied with the finest of the wheat Would ye know the reason why you have not been in heaven these many dayes it is this ye have not been fighting these many dayes Now this this clear from Rev. 2. 17. where that promise is given to the mortifying Christian that he shall taste of the hidden manna which is the sweetnesse of Iesus Christ as likewayes Rom. 8. 13. If ye through the spirit mortifie the deeds of the flesh ye shall live as also Rom. 7. 24. vers compared with 25. where wrestling Paul doth receive songs of everlasting praise put in his mouth would ye know the person that is admitted to sing one of the songs of Zion while he is in a strange land it is the Mortifying Christian for when he is in the pursute of his enemies he is then admitted to put out his singer and taste of the honey that his eyes may be enlightened There is a mortification that is pleaded for by many in these dayes whose highest advancement in this precious grace doth not consist in that which it is in knowing and being convinced of and mourning over sin but this is their Mortification that one should be dead to the sense and conviction of sin we shall passe no other verdict upon such Antinomian Mortification as this but only this it is indeed the Mortification of godlinesse it is a crucifying of repentance and holinesse it is a killing of the new man within a Christian as likewayes a quickning of the old-man in its lusts and affections this Mortification is no other thing but Sathan transformed in an angel of light and this is a peece of that new Gospel which is so much preached in these dayes which if an angel should bring from heaven we ought not to believe it this is no new light but old darknesse covered over with the vail of a glistering light O! study to be much under the impression of the bitternesse of sin that so ye may taste of the consolations of the holy Ghost There is this fourth advantage that a Christian hath by being continually exercised in this warfare which is that such a Christian hath distinct and perfect discoveries not only of the deceitfulnesse of his own heart but also of the subtility of corruption and sin that doth assault him a mortifying Christian is a most experienced Christian this is clear all along Rom. 7. where wrestling Paul hath so distinct discoveries of himself as he saith there being a law in his members rebelling against the law of his minde and bringing him into subjection And certainly there is much precious advantage that redounds unto the Christian by being convinced of the deceitfulness of his own heart and of that mystery of iniquity that is within him for such a Christian doth attain to the exercise of the grace of humility for when he beholdeth himself as in a glasse he cryeth forth Wo is me I am undone I think it is in some sense lawfull for Christians to practice much of Peters divinity which he had Luk. 5. 8. Depart from me for I am a sinful man not that it was well argued by him but it spake forth the high apprehensions he had of the holiness of God and the low apprehensions he had of himself as likewise such a Christian is much denyed to his own strength and so is necessitat to go unto one on whom his strength is laid as likewise such a Christian is much in the exercise of the grace of watchfulnesse he is not ignorant of the devices of Sathan which make him to stand continually upon his guard lest he be overtaken with the snare of the devil There is this fifth advantage that a Christian hath by being much in the exercise of mortification he doth attain to much divine conformity with God and is made a partaker of the divine nature of that invisible Majesty this is clear from Rev. 3. 5. where that promise I will cloath him in white is in a part accomplished to a Christian even while he is in this valley of tears And certainly this is the compend and sweet epitome of all Christian advantages to be made like unto the Majesty of God and it is not a conformity unto him for a day but such a mortifying Christian is most constant in keeping the divine lineaments and spiritual characters of that precious image undefaced in him as it is promised Rev. 3. 12. Him that overcometh I will make a pillar in the temple of my God and he shall go no more out And certainly that promise of stability is in a part accomplished to a Christian even while he is here below what could a Christian desire more then this to be admitted to partake of the image of the invisible God and to be made like unto him There is this last advantage that a Christian hath by being continually exercised in this precious work of mortification such an one hath his antipathy and hatred against sin much increased would you know the Christian that liveth under the impression of the sinfulnesse of sin