Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	act_n	act_v	active_a	90	3	8.9504	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77976	The eighth book of Mr Jeremiah Burroughs. Being a treatise of the evil of evils, or the exceeding sinfulness of sin. Wherein is shewed, 1 There is more evil in the least sin, than there is in the greatest affliction. 2 Sin is most opposite to God. 3 Sin is most opposite to mans good. 4 Sin is opposite to all good in general. 5 Sin is the poyson, or evil of all other evils. 6 Sin hath a kind of infiniteness in it. 7 Sin makes a man conformable to the Devil. All these several heads are branched out into very many particulars. / Published by Thomas Goodwyn, William Bridge, Sydrach Sympson, William Adderly, [double brace] William Greenhil, Philip Nye, John Yates.	Burroughs, Jeremiah, 1599-1646.; Goodwin, Thomas, 1600-1680.	1654 (1654)	Wing B6063; Thomason E819_1; ESTC R207405	254,421	485

men now the sin of their hearts alienated them from the life of God Quest Now you will say What do you mean when you speak of the Life of God and that the Soul of Man is capable of the Life of God and shew how sin is opposite to God Certainly if I should come and tell you of the flames of Hell and torments of Hell due to sin perhaps I might scare some more that way but for those that have any understanding and truly know the excellency of man their hearts will more rise upon the opening of this than if I should spend many Sermons to open the torments of Hell to you well then what is this Life of God Answ 1. That everlasting Principle of grace in the souls of men united unto Christ by his Spirit whereby men come to act and work as God doth act and as God doth work for his own glory as the utmost end As life is a Principle whereby the Creature moves within himself unto perfection unto that which tends to perfection an active Principle within it self to move towards perfection that we account life Now that Principle whereby a man shall come to move and work just as God moves and works still speaking after the manner of man that is to have the likeness of God not in the very same thing but the same in proportion of likeness as the Creature is capable of How is that you will say Thus This is the Life of God so far as we can conceive of him that God is a continual act alwaies working for himself and willing of himself as the last end of all the very Life of God consists in that and in that consists the nature of Holiness Now then when a man hath such a Principle within him as that he can work unto God as his last and highest end and obey God as his chiefest good he works as God himself doth Now Brethren this is the Life of God that the Children of men be capable of above all other Creatures and it is this that makes them fit to converse with God himself I say it is that which makes the children of men to be fit to converse with that infinite glorious eternal first-Being of all things and here is the happiness of man That he is of that Nature that he is capable of this excellency to have to do with the infinite eternal first-Being For many know no more excellency than to converse with meat and drink that Swine and Dogs and other Peasts do but know you be of more Noble Natures than so God hath made the meanest and poorest in this Congregation God hath made you of so Noble a Nature that you may come to converse with the infinite glorious first-Being of all things As we know the excellency of men that which puts a difference between man and man is this that this man that lives in a mean condition their meanness consists in this that they spend all their daies in converse with bruit Beasts and turning the clods of the Earth but Noble and great men are busied in State Affairs they be raised higher because they converse with Princes and great Affairs of State the things they converse about are higher and therefore they are more noble and higher than other men As some children of men know no other excellency than to eat and drink and play and be filthy and have nothing but that which the Beasts have but others to whom God hath revealed himself and hath made them of such a noble Nature that when others be in base acts of uncleanness that know no other way of rejoycing in time of Joy but laughing and eating and drinking and filthiness but others can get alone and there contemplate of the glory of the great God and their souls be opened to God and God lets in beams of himself to them and they let out beams of their love to God and their desires to God there is an intercourse between Heaven and them God opens himself to them and they open their souls to God and so enjoy communion from God and they because they have the Life of God in them they be fit to converse with God For mark those things that converse one with another they be such things that must live the same life as now man can converse with man why because he lives the same life that man lives but man is not so fit to converse with beasts because they live not the same life though some men live even the very life of beasts as a beast cannot converse with plants but only devours them because they live not the same life but those that live the same life be fittest for converse So if man did not live the same life God doth he could not converse with God Hence wicked and ungodly men cannot converse with God because they live not the same life of God When you talk of conversing with God it is a riddle to many men why because they are strangers to the Life of God they have nothing of the Life of God in them but it is strange to them therfore they cannot converse with God But now that which strikes at this Life and is the death of the soul is sin for sin is the death of the Soul therefore Ephes 2. beginning You be dead in trespasses and sins sin brings death he means not a bodily death though that be a truth but there is this death the Life of God is gone all men by nature have the Life of God gone and if ever it be renewed it is by a mighty work of Gods Spirit but sin strikes at the Life of God in us at this Candle of the Lord in this Earthen Pitcher 2 Again The excellency of the Life of God will consist in this as to make a man converse with him so in this That God must needs take infinite delight in the souls of those that live his life as before in looking upon his Image now much more when he can see his Creatures work as he himself works this is the delight of God to see his Creatures work just as himself As a man takes delight to see his Pictute but abundantly more to look upon himself in his Child and to see his life in his Child that comes from him to see it able to work as he works As suppose any Artificer or one skilled in Navigation suppose he see a Picture drawn of Navigation he takes delight in that because there is somthing of himself in it but now suppose he hath a Child and he puts skill into him and he seeth him work as he works and discourse about Naval Affairs as he discourseth this is wonderfully delightful to him So when God shall see the same life in his Creature that is in himself that he works and wills as he doth this takes the very heart of God and this shews the excellency of grace But sin is that which strikes at this Life of

fitted to their hearts and dispositions that he finds his own sin come to be discovered and the man is smitten as he in 1 Cor. 14. 25. the ignorant man that comes into the Church and hears there the Saints prophesie He is convinced and falls down and saith verily God is among them of a truth God is in them it is a remarkable Text what ever he thought before it may be he heard strange Stories of the Church of Christ of prophane Meetings That Gods People when they met together they blew out the Candles and committed Uncleanness and Wickedness As there be notorious lies reported abroad of such Sects in the world for certainly there is no such Sect in the world but such reports are raised meerly to make the Meettings of Gods Saints odious in the esteem of others As the Jesuite said Do you but Calnmniate strongly somewhat will stick though nothing be true Well what ever thoughts they had of the Assemblies of the people of God for it is like the Heathens had strange thoughts but when he came in and heard what was done he is Convinced and Judged and the secrets of his heart came to be discovered the text saith The man falls down and Worships God and reports God is among them So many people hear great Relations of such Men and such Preachers and Sermons and they go to hear what they can say and what they do and may be go with an intention to scorn as I have known some come and sit close to a Pilar and with an intention to jeer and scorn but before they have been gone God hath darted some truth into their Conscience and they have been struck with the word and gone away with terrors in their Conscience this cannot be melancholly As Paul when God converted him God comes and meets him with light from heaven and strikes him from his horse and he stands trembling and cries out Lord What wilt thou have me to do There is a great deal of difference between this and melancholly A Third Difference is this Melancholly is exceeding Confused they are exceeding Confused in their thoughts and the trouble of their Spirit And many times they have troubles and sinkings but they can give no account of it at all yea their troubles be beyond their ground the grounds that they be troubled about are very confused that they understand them not themselves but troubles of Conscience are a great deal more distinct and there the soul seeth ground for the trouble beyond the trouble As in Melancholly the trouble is beyond the ground of trouble so in affliction of Conscience the ground is beyond all trouble I am troubled indeed but I see cause to be troubled more and this is a great part of many mens trouble That they can be troubled no more A Fourth Difference is this The more melancholly there is in any man or woman the less able are they to bear any outward affliction that befals them but the more trouble of Conscience the more able shall they be to bear afflictions that befals them Those who feel the trouble of Sin heavie do account all other afflictions light but melancholly people do feel all Afflictions heavie they cannot bear the least cross their hearts are ready to sink upon any thing and the more melancholly increaseth the more weak are their spirits and the less able to bear any cross But now trouble of Conscience the more sin and the heavier the butthen of sin lies upon the Soul the more slight thoughts hath the soul of outward crosses Alas it may be he hears of some that have some grievous diseases in their bodies Oh saith he that is troubled in conscience Oh if it were no worse with me than so it were but a flea bite but it is another manner of matter if God would change my trouble I could easily bear that As Francis Spira hath this expression Oh! saith he were I but released and set free as before from trouble of spirit my thinks I could scorn all the threatnings of cruel Tyrants and with undaunted resolution bear all torments So that the height of this trouble makes the other less It was a good Speech of a reverend Divine of our times when he heard any impatient under afflictions he used to say thus Surely the Reason why Affliction is heavie upon you is because Sin is light Those that be impatient under Afflictions it is a●sign Sin is light because Afflictions are heavie troubles of Conscience would make all Afflictions light Melancholly wil not Fifthly A principal Difference above all that hath been named is this Melancholly doth mightily dull the spirit of any man or woman wheresoever it prevails it makes them heavie and dull and unapt But now trouble of Conscience for Sin it puts a mighty quickness in men it puts an activity another manner of activity and stirring in the spirit than ever was before You shall have many men and women sit dully under a Minister many years under the word and never act but when God comes to stir and awaken Conscience for Sin their Spirits be active and stirring then in another manner than they were before Whereas poor people overwhelm'd with melancholly they sit moping and heavie and dull and lumpish and no activity of spirit at all but trouble of Conscience for sin is as fire in his bones As Jeremiah said He would speak no more in the Name of the Lord but the word of God was as fire in his bones and made him active and stirring so trouble in Conscience makes them active and stirring now they can pray they could not pray before now they be active and working As Acts 9. When God troubled Paul the text saith Behold Paul Prayes Go saith the Lord to Annanias to Saul Behold he prayes as if Paul never prayed in all his life before Certainly you that cannot pray that never prayed but read a prayer or prayers your mothers taught you you cannot Pray but if ever God troubles your Consciences for sin then you will Pray as if you were in heaven Oh mighty Prayers then Oh for Christ Oh Pardon of Sin and Peace then there is another manner of acting and stirring of his spirit in Prayer than ever was before But melancholliness will not do it but makes a man heavie and dull in the very act of Prayer There is a notable example of the actings of Spirit in troubles that come from Sin whereas the other makes them dull 't is that in the Book of Ezra Chap. 9. vers 3. and 5. Verse 3. And when I heard this thing I rent my garment and my mantle and pluckt off the hair of my head and of my beard and sate down astonied This you will say made him dull mark what follows Verse 5. And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness and having rent my garment and my mantle I fell upon my knees and I spread forth my hands unto the Lord my

God and said Oh Lord my God I am ashamed and blush to lift up my faee to thee my God for our iniquities are increased over our heads and our trespasses are grown up to the heavens c. There mark the Prayer Ezra makes at the evening Sacrificed when the time was come that he should stir and seek God then his Spirit was mighty active and stirring though he were astonished before If it had been melancholly his heart would have sate still then so that trouble of Conscience puts life into the Soul in Prayer And so it makes the soul active in meditation and contemplation melancholly people be dull and heavie and know not how to meditate nor what to meditate on Those troubled in Conscience Oh what quick thoughts have they about God Christ and eternity and the law and sin and their souls work about such objects that they can have no help unto from their bodies and senses and yet their spirits are raised higher than before in their workings●… And so when they come to hear the Word Oh how active be their spirits in catching of the word and at every truth I appeal to you that are troubled what difference there is between your spirits now and what they were before you were troubled for sin before you came to the Congregation to see and be seen and wondered what men meant to be so earnest and now you mark every tru●h and catch hold of every sentence and mark the mind of God and understand what is said before you came and heard and never understood what was meant by such and such things you saw the Minister earnest but you could not conceive what the man meant in his earnestness but now you see what he means in his earnestness and understand what weight is in those truths you hear revealed this is som●what like when the spirit is thus ●…ed and acted in Prayer and Pearing And in Conference when you were in Conference with good men before Conference about good things was dry and a dull thing and you savored not the things confered on but presently were asleep but now if you come where there is Conference of God and his Word and Christ and the like your mind closeth with this If you were only melancholly this would make you more dull and heavie but this makes you more lively and active therefore there is a great deal of difference Lastly Trouble of Conscience cannot be cured as Melancholly is Melancholly many times is worn out with time and Physick cures that and outward comforts and contentments cures that but trouble of Conscience is a wound of a higher nature As Francis Spira said when they brought Physitians and thought it trouble of body Alas poor men they think to cure me by Physick Ah it is another manner of malladie and must have another manner of medicine than Plaisters and Drugs to cure a fainting Soul and Spirit for Sin Conscience must have Gospel Antidotes therefore you that thought you had trouble of Conscience for Sin and you are now eased or perhaps not so much troubled now as before look back what cured you how comes it to pass you be less troubled than before hath time worn it away such a Sermon and such apprehensions of such a truth darted into you mightily and troubled you you had such troubles but what hath cured you many times one can give no account but this Sure time hath worn it away if so then it was not a right trouble So it may be you took Physick your body was troubled before now it is lively and more blood in your veins more spirit now and may be now your affliction is taken away and this hath ●ured you if there be no other trouble than this certainly you know not what trouble of conscience means at least not in a saving way either it was not trouble of conscience at all or else it is not cured aright but as the thorn that lies rotting and rankling in the flesh a thorn when it first gets in puts one to a great deal of pain perhaps if it be let alone the pain will be over for the present but it lies rankling and will put you to pain afterward if it be not cured So of trouble of Conscience for Sin and if nothing have cured it but these things it is like the thorn in the flesh and will trouble you afterward There is another manner of Cure for it is the greatest thing God can do to comfort a troubled Conscience it must be the bloud of Christ applied by the holy Ghost it must be a plaister made of the bloud of Jesus Christ and applied by the holy Ghost to Cure this And therefore I beseech you consider what hath been said about this Argument and as the Psalmist saith Blessed is the man that wisely considereth of the poor so I say blessed is the man and woman that wisely considereth of these troubles in this dont cast it upon your children friends Oh they be froward or mad-men or melancholly Oh do not say so You that are acquainted with storms and tempests you think them dreadful it may be some of your friends have lately known what dreadful storms there have been now if any of them should make relation of it and another should sa● this is but a conceit and a fancy and no reallity but a dream would you think these men spake like wise men Certainly if any storm you have met withal at Sea hath terror in it know stroms in Conscience hath a thousand times more than storms at Sea Therfore when you see any troubled in Conscience for sin fear and tremble let your Conscience shake at it and make use of their trouble I remember a story of one Vergerius that came to comfort Francis Spira and he came to comfort him as other men did but he saw such dreadfulness upon Francis Spira that it struck terror in his Soul that he left his Bishopprick and went to Basil and became a famous Protestant Thus when we hear of troubles of Conscience slight it not but let the fear of God be upon you go and renounce Sin Oh if some of our friends did know what slighting of a troubled Conscience were it would make them do as he did though he had a rich Bishopprick he renounced all And thus we have done with this First Use CHAP. LIII A Second Vse from the whol Treatise shewing that a man may be in a most miserable condition though he be delivered from outward affliction First If a man be prosperous by sin if a man raise himself to a prosperous condition by any sinful way let such men consider three things 1 What is got by sin it cost dear 2 What is got by sin is accursed to thee 3 What is got by sin must be cast away or thy soul is cast away Secondly When men come to be more sinful by their prosperity explained in three Particulars 1 When prosperity is