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_v	church_n	zion_n	22	3	9.5348	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B10265	Balm in Gilead to heal Sions wounds: or, A treatise wherein there is a clear discovery of the most prevailing sicknesses of New-England, both in the civill and ecclesiasticall state; as also sutable remedies for the cure of them: collected out of that spirituall directory, The word of God. / Delivered in a sermon preached before the Generall Court of the colony of New-Plimouth on the first day of June 1669. being the day of election there. By Thomas Walley ...	Walley, Thomas, 1616-1678.	1670 (1670)	Wing W555; ESTC W33773	18,025	40

to get the help of some able Christian in the work of Teaching the Children of the Congregation Thirdly A further word of Counsel is to all you Saints of the Most High that love Sion and are sensible of the sicknesses of it 1. Labour to get all your Parts Gifts sanctified that they may not puff you up and insnare you Some of you through the goodness of God and his rich grace have greater Attainments in the knowledge of the Mysteries of the Gospel then others be you more exemplary for Humbleness and Meekness then others One great reason why there are so many Sicknesses in the daughter of Sion is because the Gifts of Christians are no more sanctified when Gifts are not sanctified they occasion Pride the Mother of Contention so that those that should lead the people into Peace and Love lead them into Divisions and are Firebrands in the Houses of God 2. Endeavour to mortifie those Lusts that incline you to Contention for Contentions do not come so much from outward provocations as from inward corruptions Jam. 4. 1. All wars come from lusts if Pride Passion and Self-love were mortified there would be more peace and agreement but mens lusts are so dear to them they will rather adventure their own peace and the Churches then part with them 3. Labour for that Wisdome that is from above which is pure gentle peaceable easie to be intreated full of mercy and good fruits Jam. 3. 17. If you have bitter envying and strife in your hearts glory not ver 14. but be ashamed whatever your parts and gifts are Take our Saviours counsel Mark 9. 50. Have salt in your selves and peace one with another the salt of Wisdome tends to Peace and Unity 4. Be sure you love the publick good of Sion if the love of Sion doth reign in your hearts you will seek the welfare of it It was the true Mother that would not suffer the Childe to be divided Thou shouldest so love the peace of the Church that when a storm begins thou shouldest say If I am the man that cause this cast me out let the Church have her peace The Romans had a Temple dedicated Jovi depositorio the Senators went thither and laid down their mutual Contentions before they went to the Senate house and divers of the Heathen would lay aside their private Quarrels for the Common Good which doth shame some Christians in our dayes 5. Let those that agree in Fundamentals and have Union with the same Head walk together in love and peace this we are pressed to Phil. 3. 16. Why should there not be a hearty love between those that are of the same Faith Remember that the Peace-makers are blessed Peace and Vnion are humane Saviours to Countries and Churches Dulce nomen pacis Psal 133. But you must also remember this That your labour for Unity will be in vain if you are enemies to Order Keeping the Order God hath appointed is the way to Peace and Unity The Church is that one Body of Christ yet this Body is made up of distinct Members and every Member hath its own operation when every Member doth its own office the Body is most lovely yet where the foundation is gold silver and precious stones though there be some hay and stubble in the Superstructure there ought to be a Christian for bearance 6. Pray for the Health of Sion for the Peace of Jerusalem Psal 122. 6. If the Spirit of Prayer for Unity were poured out upon the people of God we should not be long without the blessing of Peace in the Churches Pray then that Means may be effectual for the recovery of the daughter of Sion from her Sicknesses that Gileads Balm and Gileads Physicians may do good Pray down Divisions Pray down Errour and Profaneness Pray that the daughter of Sion may not want Nursing-fathers that the Land of Liberty may not become the House of Bondage and this will be the way to have the God of Peace dwell among us As we carry it towards God so will God manifest himself unto us Let as cry as the Prophet Jerem. 17. 14. Heal us O Lord and we shall be h●aled A like Prayer we reade in Psal 60. 2. God hath promised that if we pray and humble our selves he will hear from heaven and heal the Land 2. Chron. 7. 14. and sometimes he doth heal a froward people when they are like to perish of their wounds Isa 57. 17 18. I have seen his wayes and I will heal him when we go about to heal by our own skill without God we heal but slightly Jer. 8. 11. I shall onely adde some Motives to press every one in his place and calling to labour to recover the health of the daughter of Sion Motive 1. If there be Sickness in the Church there will be little health in the Common-wealth In the Land of Judah when the building of the Temple was neglected the Worship of God defiled a decay in Religion it never went well with the Common-wealth Let us believe it that things amiss in the houses of God are the chief cause that it goes ill with the Country 2. Sicknesses in Churches endanger the damnation of the Souls of many they hinder Conversion harden many hearts bring the Wayes and Worships of God into contempt and these Evils are the fruit especially of Division among those that profess Godliness If Contentions reign in Churches either the world will never think well of Christ or never believe such Members of Churches are Christs Disciples John 13. 35. What account can be given at last for this that Christ and the true Religion are contemned by the world for the sake of the Professors of it It 's sad that in our dayes many Professors live as though there were no Canaanites nor Perizzites in the Land If ever you would have Christ and his Wayes well thought of labour after Vnity If you would have any more Converted by the Preaching of the Gospel labour after Vnity If you would enjoy your Church-Priviledges and your Civil Peace labour for Vnity If you would have God remove his frowns his afflicting hand from us labour after Vnity If ever you would be serviceable to Christ and one to another labour after Vnity The members of the Body do not give mutual nourishment except they be joyned each to other It is not enough that you keep up the Ordinances of God for his honour for the good of your Souls and for the good of the Souls of others except you remove the stumbling-blocks that that lye in the way of others your Contentions and Covetous Practises c. O you that are the Professors of Religion it seems to be in your hand to save or damn Souls your gracious Conversation might be a means to convert others and the contrary may be a means of damning others 3. Endeavouring to recover the health of the daughter of Sion will be as cross a work to the Devil as any you can do it will be a crossing of Satan in one of the greatest designs he hath on foot in the world he is alwayes either acting the part of a Lion or the part of a Serpent either persecuting by open Enemies or dividing dearest friends Those that have reconciling Spirits that are Peace makers counter-work Satan they oppose him in his great design 4. For your Encouragement know that the Lord doth in a special manner care for Sion He loves the Gates of Sion more then all the dwellings of Jacob Psal 87. 2. The Church is more dear to him then the Common-wealth As God he cares for the Common-wealth as a Father he cares for the Church yet Magistracy is Gods Ordinance for the help and preservation of the Churches And God in giving his Laws doth first command things concerning himself and his Worship The Church is supposed to be a poor Orphan and Kings and Queens and to be their Nursing fathers and Nursing-mothers Isa 49. 23. 5. It will be an Honour to you to be Instruments to heal the daughter of Sion God will take it kindly at your hands and honour you that thus honour him 1 Sam. 2. 30. Those that build the old wasle places that raise up the foundations of many generations such shall be called The repairers of the breaches Isa 58. 12. 6. Consider this the time may come that Churches Ordinances Communion with Saints may be more precious then the Gold of Ophir I shall close with this one Word which is to Exhort and Perswade you all to encourage and strengthen the Hearts and Hands of those that God hath in a special manner made Physicians do as the people did Nehem. 10. 29. They clave to their Brethren the Nobles c. Take heed of discouraging them but say to those that are your Rulers This matter of Healing the daughter of Sion belongs to you but we will be with you Ezra 10. 4. then it is well when all work together for God It is said 2 Chron. 30. 26. Hezekiah humbled himself and the Inhabitants of Jerusalem with him and wrath came not in his dayes If the Lord give us hearts to take these Counsels which he hath offered to us this day we shall be the more likely to go to our fathers in peace and leave a blessing behinde us for posterity FINIS THere is now going to the Press sundry excellent and divine Poems entituled Meat out of the Eater or Meditations concerning the Necessity End and Vsefulness of Afflictions unto Gods Children All tending to prepare them for and comfort them under the Cross By Michael Wigglesworth

to them In ver 20. the Prophet shews them what will be the fruit of their folly in trusting to false Prophets and relying upon their Predictions at last they shall despair of help and cry out The harvest is past the Summer is ended and we are not saved the time set by these false Prophets for deliverance was past but they were not delivered In the Text the Prophet being in great amazement of spirit passionately puts forth three Questions 1. Is there no Balm in Gilead 2. Is there no Physician there 3. Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered The two first of these Questions do not come from any doubt but do strongly affirm that there was Balm in Gilead and that there were Physicians there The third Question is Why then is not the health of the daughter of my people recovered What is the reason that such admirable Helps should be no more helpful that Gileads Balm and Gileads Physicians should be so unsuccessful This was wonderful that while Sion had such proper and precious Means for her Recovery her Wound should gangrene and become incurable By Gilead is meant either a City so called Hosea 6 8. Gilead is a City of them that work iniquity it was a City of the Levites the most famous in all the Land of Gilead the whole Country took its Name from it Or else by Gilead is meant the whole Land and Country of Gilead which was on the other side Jordan and did belong to the Reubenites and Manassites 2 Kings 10. 33. This Country of Gilead abounded with Balm the Ishmaelites that bought Joseph were carrying Balm from Gilead to Egypt Gen. 37. 25. and the daughter of Egypt is bid to fetch Balm from Gilead Ezek. 27. 17. which notes That the most precious and soveraign Balm was there as it grew in the Land of Gilead so it was chiefly sold in the City of Gilead In former times there was no Balm in all the world of such account as this Balm Pliny saith Balsamum uni terrarum Judeae concessum as though it were a blessing vouchsafed to Judea onely They traded with it to Tyre that Merchandizing City that then had the Trade of the World and sent it far and near One saith of this Balm it was Medicina difficillimorum Morborum A Medicine to heal the most difficult Diseases All Nations must be beholding to Israel for Balm noting That all the World should be beholding to the Church for Health And as there were the best Balm in Gilead so there were the best Physicians there usually those Countries that abound with the best Medicines have the most and best Physicians That which the Spirit of God tells us here is 1. That Sion was sick 2. That Sion had the best and most proper Means for her Recovery the best Balm the best Physicians 3. That though Sion had all these Means yet she was not recovered Hence the Doctrine is That sometimes a People may be sick and though they have the most proper and sutable Means of Health yet no Means may be effectuall for their Recovery Thus it may be with Nations Countries Churches they may have sickness in them and though all Means be present for their Recovery yet they may remain not healed of their sickness Let us consider what Means this People of Israel had from time to time to recover them from their Sicknesses 1. They had the Prophets of God with them early and late 2 Chron. 36. 15 16. At this time they had the Prophet Jeremiah the Prophet Ezekiel who faithfully discovered to them their Sicknesses their Danger and the Remedy yet they were not healed These Prophets were continued to them till the destruction of the City and Temple 2. They had the Ordinances of God his healing Ordinances and scarcely at any time in more purity then in the dayes of Josiah yet their hearts went after the sins of Manasseh the Abominations that were set up in his Reign 3. They had a good King Josiah was their King you have an account of his goodness 2 Chron. 34 35 Chap. when he was but in the eighth year of his reign he began to seek after the God of his father David Chap. 34. 3. and in the twelfth year of his reign he put forth his utmost endeavours for a thorough-Reformation cast out false Worship set up the true Worship of God laboured to settle every thing in the House of God according to the minde of God and yet this people were not healed It is observeable That in the twelfth year of Josiah the publick Reformation began and in the thirteenth year this Prophet is sent from the Lord to call upon them to put away their abominations that they may not be removed out of his sight but all Means proves ineffectual their hearts go after their Idols they are not healed 4. They had a good God God was not as yet departed from them he was in Sion and would have healed them Ezek. 24. 13. bestowed purging Means upon her but she would not be Healed So when Israel went out of Egypt they fell into many Sicknesses in the Wilderness they had the proper Means for their Recovery they had Moses for their King and Prophet they had Aaron the Lords High Priest they had the Ark of God the Ordinances of God yet they provoked the Lord contemned the Means of their healing murmured at their Physicians they were not healed and therefore they consumed their dayes in vanity and their years in trouble Psal 78. 33. Their carcases fell in the wilderness Numb 14. 32. When they came into the Land of Canaan and were filled with the blessings of God there they surfetted and fell into divers Diseases they waxed fat and began to kick Deut. 32. 15. When they were poor then they were hungry and murmured at God when they were rich then they grew proud and lightly esteemed the Rock of their Salvation The Lord trusted them with healing Means followed them with merciful Providences yet they were not healed or if they had any present healing they quickly relapsed again Amos 4. 6 7. to the end of the Chap. the Lord deals with Israel by Judgements one after another yet they are not healed When Christ came into the world he found Church and State sick both quite out of order he was a skilful yea the best Physician and would have healed them they had the best Means that ever people had and yet they were not healed And the Apostles of Christ though they were eminent Instruments in the hands of God and did much in other Countries yet could do little in their own Country for the healing of the daughter of Sion I shall now give you the Reasons Why a people that are sick and have the best Means for Recovery yet are not recovered Reas 1. Because oft-times the Diseases of Kingdomes Countries and Churches are so occult and hid that the wisest of Physicians cannot finde them out