Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	adoption_n	receive_v	son_n	6,859	5	5.8529	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30582	Gospel remission, or, A treatise shewing that true blessedness consists in pardon of sin wherein is discovered the many Gospel mysteries therein contained, the glorious effects proceeding from it, the great mistakes made about it, the true signs and symptomes of it, the way and means to obtain it / by Jeremiah Burroughs ; being several sermons preached immediately after those of The evil of sin by the same author, and now published by Philip Nye ... [et al.]	Burroughs, Jeremiah, 1599-1646.; Nye, Philip, 1596?-1672.	1668 (1668)	Wing B6081; ESTC R4316	194,926	239

the Word which before terrified my Conscience yet now my sin being pardoned my soul is reconciled and the Word of God speaks nothing but good unto me and all those fears that before so terrified me are dispell'd But may not a pardoned man have these fears or somewhat of the nature of them resting on his spirit after he is pardoned Yea he may but the ground of them is dispel'd and gone it is not the work of Gods Spirit that causes these fears as it did before Rom. 8.15 You have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear but the Spirit of adoption whereby ye cry Abba Father may be you may have some fears but being justified by faith you have not again received the spirit of bondage if hereafter you have any fears of Gods judgments and wrath against you it is not the spirit of bondage the Spirit of God that causes these fears your own selves may mistake the matter for those that once receive the spirit of bondage never after receive it you may have fears through your own mistakes but not by the Spirit of God as the spirit of bondage shewing us our bondage by our sins and working terrors on the soul for it these fears are dispell'd for in our peace with God in the pardon of sin the matter of enemity between God and the soul is taken away there is this in it which might have been added in the mysteries When a Prince pardons a malefactor he gives him his life and he is glad goes away but the Prince regards him not any more and possibly he may yet have enmity in his heart against the Prince still But God when he pardons a sinner not only is the enmity taken away but forthwith that soul is brought into the state of infinite friendship he receives the soul into his very heart so that there shall be a greater and more intimate love and friendship between his Majesty and that Soul than ever was between the greatest and dearest friends in the world this is wonderful and yet this is so for as when God comes to pardon sin there is not only taking away the guilt of sin but the soul is made actually righteous in Justification so also there is not only a taking away of the enmity between God and the soul that was there before but he receives the soul into infinite love and takes him into infinite friendship with himself Oh the sweetness and blessedness of that mans state whose sins are pardoned Reconciliation with God follows thereupon and he takes the soul into his bosome-love Further upon this there follows two things Peace in Conscience and with the Creatures being justified by faith he hath peace with God and as the immediate consequence thereof peace in Conscience and with all the Creatures 1. Peace in Conscience those fears and grating terrors that arose on guilt of Conscience are gone those dismal accusations of Conscience are still'd though 't is true a mans Conscience may trouble him after Pardon and Justification but it is through mistake the ground of all those troubles of Conscience are gone 't is with trouble of Conscience after pardon of sin as with the Sea you that are Marriners may see the wind at Sea raising the boisterous waves on high yet after the wind is quite down 't is a great while before they be still and quiet so in mens souls it is guilt of sin that causes woful disturbances but when God pardons sin he comes into the Soul as Christ in the Ship and bids all be still and though through our weakness after the sting and guilt is removed Conscience is troubled yet is God pleased to help the weakness of his People sooner or later not only to pardon sin in the Court of Heaven but in the Court of Conscience too and then all fears and troubles are gone certainly those that know what the burnings throbbings and ailings of an accusing Conscience means they know what a blessing it is to have Peace of Conscience a great blessing to have all well there because the Soul hath much to do with Conscience and Conscience hath much to do with God yea only to do with God and if all be well with that which hath so much to do with the Almighty it is a great blessedness blessed is the man that is thus pardoned 2. There follows this also Peace with the Creatures If I should meet with these in a full Text each of them might require a Sermon themselves to shew the excellency of a quiet Conscience and peace with the Creatures But I must but touch it here God is Lord of Hoasts and all the creatures stand armed ready to avenge Gods quarrel and not only do they stand in readiness but there is a kind of cry in the creatures to God to make them the Executioners of his wrath Shall I go and strike this Drunkard says one and shall I strike this Blasphemer says another All the creatures in heaven earth cry against thee every day But when God pardons thy sin all the creatures presently become thy friends when the Judge hath quitted a Malelefactor the under-Officers have nothing to do with him Conscience and the Creatures they are under-Officers and when God is at peace they are at peace too When Joab came and stab'd Absalom the ten young men that were his Armour-bearers did so too so if God come to a sinner unpardoned and give him a stab all the Creatures will be ready to stab him too but when God comes and pardons thy sin He makes a league with thee and the stones of the field as the Scripture speaks that is the first great mercy that flows in to the Soul upon pardon of sin and peace with God Of Gods Revealing his Secrets to those whom he Pardons 2. This follows upon pardon of sin God comes in a wonderful gracious way to reveal himself to that soul he comes to reveal his secrets to that soul he pardons and pardon of sin is the very ground of the Revelation of the Secrets and Mysteries of God by the Spirit to that Soul Jer. 31.33 among other particulars in the New Covenant God promiseth they shall be all taught of God in Heb. 8. that Text is quoted something more fully than in the Prophet vers 10 11. They shall not teach every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest Mark For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more Pardon of sin is made the ground of Gods teaching them his Covenant They shall know me from the least to the greatest you little ones and young ones if God please to bring you to Christ and pardon your sin a glorious light shall come into your souls God will shew himself in a glorious manner to you there shall be another manner of light

God promised to make all his goodness pass before him and Exod. 34.6 he proclaimed The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands and then to the point in hand forgiving iniquity transgression and sin here 's the glory of God Would you have a demonstration indeed that Gods heart was set upon this as the greatest work that ever was done take it in this that the very thoughts of effecting this by the death of his own Son made God very well pleas'd and delighted with his death surely then his heart was much set upon it for rather than he would not effect it he would part with his own Son Never was there such a hideous thing as the death of the Son of God and therefore if there were any delight to be taken in it that God the Father took delight in it there must be some great thing to sweeten it such an horrid thing as the death of the Son of God had need have some great thing to sweeten it what now sweetned this to God the Father that his own Son should be put to death Why nothing but this that hereby sinners might come to be redeemed justified and pardoned nothing else would sweeten it to God the Father but this does Isai 53.10 It pleased the Lord to bruise him and again the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand the Scripture says God takes no delight in the death of a sinner and yet God did take delight in the death of his Son it pleased God to see his Son bruised when God the Father saw his Son under his wrath swetting drops of water and blood under the curse of the Law it pleased God well certainly then there must be some mighty thing that must sweeten this and make the death of his own Son a delightful object to him Why the very thing that did it was this that Christ being made a curse he thereby did redeem us from the curse procur'd the pardon of our sins and reconciled us unto God and this very thing sweetned the death of the Son of God unto God the Father therefore the heart of God was much in it 2. For Christ What was the business that brought him from the Fathers bosome made him content to take our nature upon him to suffer and to be a man of sorrows so as to delight in it there was a kind of delight to Christ in induring the wrath of God for with desire says Christ have I desired to eat this Passover because it was the Preparation to his Death and Sufferings of the wrath of God in all the fruits and effects of it for the sin of Man and when Christ came to institute the Sacrament of the Lords Supper and to give his blood for the remission of sins the Text says He gave thanks What did he give thanks for surely the thing for which he gave thanks for upon which the Supper of the Lord is called the Eucharist from the Greek word that signifies Thanksgiving was this that by his death Remission of sins should be obtain'd when Christ was to die suffer all the wrath of God that was due for our sins Christ blessed God thanked God the Father for it surely there must be some great matter to sweeten it that he should be so affected as to bless God the Father for that that cost him his life and yet he did Mark what it is that satisfies Christ for all this Isa 53.10 It pleased the Lord to bruise him and his soul was made an offering for sin all was laid upon Christ Well but what did Christ look for for all this Vers 11. He shall see of the travel of his soul and shall be satisfied that that shall satisfie Christ for all his pains labour and sufferings shall be to see of the travel of his soul What is that What is the travel of Christs soul What Why by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many as if Christ had said this is the very thing my Soul travels for in all that I have done or suffered in all my life that I might but bring this great business to pass to justifie some souls to get the sin of those poor souls that are thine Elect pardoned and their persons justified this my soul travels for and oh Father let me but see this the travel of my Soul and I am satisfied Christ accounted it worth all the travel of his Soul in all he did and suffered that he might justifie some souls as if he had said he would have no other boon from his Father but only this Father if thou wilt but recompence all my travel with this I shall for ever account my self that I am satisfied and have enough How should we be satified with Christ when Christ accounts the pardon of our sins satisfaction enough Shall Christ say notwithstanding all my sorrows let thy sin be pardoned and I have enough Wilt not thou now say and let me have Christ and I have enough Christ says to God the Father let me have those souls pardoned and I have enough Oh then do thou say let me have Christ and I have enough Surely Christ is enough to satisfie thee when the pardon of thy sin is enough to satisfie him 3. As the heart of God and Christ so the heart of the Holy Ghost is in this business too the great work the Holy Ghost hath to do in this world and the great business for which he was sent it is to convince poor souls of the righteousness there is to be had in Christ for Justification Joh. 16.8 9 10. Christ will send the Comforter and first he will convince the world of sin 2. Of righteousness What is that that is when the Spirit comes he will clear it up unto believers and convince them that the righteousness that they must have to stand righteous before God in is the righteousness of Christ alone and this is a mighty work of the Spirit of God and a work that would never have been done had not he come to have done it it is such a great mystery that we should be righteous by anothers righteousnes that it is above the reason of all Men and Angels all Men and Angels were never able to fathom this infinite depth it is above their apprehensions that ever we should come to be righteous in Christ and very few yet where Christ is made known are convinced of it Those men that take up Religion in a natural way they never are convinc't of the Righteousness of Christ it is a riddle and a mystery to them only those few souls whom God intends eternally to save the Spirit of God is sent unto them from the Father and the Son to clear it unto them that the righteousness wherewith they must stand righteous before God is the Righteousness of Jesus Christ this is the great work of the Spirit of God

and he comes on purpose to enlighten you in this great point and to witness this great Truth unto you Heb. 10.15 Whereof the Holy Ghost is a witness for after that he had said before this is the Covenant that I will make c. vers 17. Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more as the Principal part of the Covenant and of this the Holy Ghost is a witness This great Truth of the forgiveness of Sins the Holy Ghost comes to bear witness of and seal this to thy Soul that thy sins are forgiven this is the great work of the Holy Ghost after believing to seal up the forgiveness of sin and this is one great reason why the Holy Ghost hath the Title of Comforter because as he comes to convince of sin so also to witness and seal up forgiveness of sin to the soul And indeed as it shews the excellency of the mercy of forgiveness because the Holy Ghost is so much in it so the greatness of it that must have so high a Person to witness it and indeed the Soul is not satisfied until it have this special witness of the Holy Ghost 't is true there may be probable arguments drawn by signs of Gods love unto us and the Holy Ghost may come in those signs but besides that there is the immediate witness of the Holy Ghost to limit him to witness by signs only is more than any man can have warrant for and this I say further that all the signs of Gods favour that we can have will not satisfie the soul until there be this special work of the Holy Ghost sealing and witnessing the favour of God unto us 1 Joh. 3. there are many signs of Gods favour in that Chapter Vers 9. He that is born of God doth not commit sin And Vers 19. Hereby we know we are of the Truth and shall assure our hearts before him and he that keepeth his Commandemen●s dwelleth in him and he in him that 's another sign and Vers 24 but the conclusion of all is this Hereby we know that he abideth in us by the Spirit which he hath given us it is the Holy Ghost must convince satisfie the soul of Gods love many there are that would fain have their sins pardoned and would fain have some signs of it and perhaps I may hereafter give some signs But now know that all the signs in the world will not serve to quiet the heart but that it may return again to its former doubts till God come to pacifie the spirit by the witness of the Holy Ghost for it is so great a matter where once the Soul understands the infinite breach made between God and it by sin that it must needs be more than an ordinary work to assure the Soul of Gods Reconciliation to it and nothing can do it satisfactorily but the Holy Ghost he must come to the Soul to assure it of this thing perhaps the case of a poor Soul is thus Suppose a Prisoner in Goal lies bound in fetters for some great offence against his Prince and some friend comes and tells him there is hope of pardon Oh says he 't is too good news to be true well another comes to the grate of the Prison and tells that he hears from the Court the King hath sealed Pardons and put such a ones name in this is some comfort but yet this frees him not from fears and doubtings But now suppose the Favourite of the Prince come from the King himself one that is of the Kings Bed-chamber and one to whom the King opens his whole soul and nothin●●he King doth but he is acquainted with it he comes to this poor man and bids him be of good comfort I come from the King and bring you a Pardon from him shews it him and says there it is take it Oh this revives his spirit when such a special Messenger is sent unto him so in this case I may compare all signs to be like some friend or other that goes by the grate and speaks of the happiness of such a man that he is pardoned but the soul is under such blindness and fears by reason of the guilt of sin that God knows it is no easie matter to perswade it of pardon But now God for the comfort of those that he intends good will unto sends his own Spirit that lies in his own bosom and knows all his secrets to declare the mind of God and to say to such a soul Peace be to thee thy sins are forgiven now this satisfies the soul But it may be here objected How may I know it is the Spirit of God that witnesses and not my own fancies or delusions of Satan I answer as we know the Sun by its own light so we may know the Spirit by its own testimony and though there be may some ebbs yet it will rise again there is such a witnessing work of the Spirit by a kind of sweet and secret intercourse between God and the Soul whereby God over-powers all doubts and fears though I do not say every one hath it in a like sensible measure yet this I say when this full assurance comes although there may be doubts and many questions before in the soul for fear of being deluded for certainly many are deceived and deluded yet then the Spirit over-powers all doubts and fears and witnesses to the Soul it s own work Do not you say because some are deluded with fancies that there is no witness of the Spirit when as there is scarce any point in the Gospel the Scripture speaks more about than this of the witness of the Spirit indeed they that judge of the mysteries of the Gospel by Humane Reason and understand no further than that reaches too and that are little acquainted with those converses that are between God and a believing Soul they may slight this witness of the Spirit but you must know there is not any Soul that has assurance he shall go to Heaven but it is wrought on by a high supernatural and mysterious way and if there were no other way to evidence this to the Soul but by some signs this would be no higher evidence than by way of reason But we are to know as great is the mystery of godliness God manifested in the flesh so also great is the mystery of godliness God justified in the Spirit God justified in the Spirit is a great mystery Christs Incarnation is a great mystery so is a Believers Justification as well as Christs Incarnation so also the witness of Justification is a great mystery and therefore I beseech you look up higher than for such signs as Reason may reach unto and beg of God to reveal this unto you that thou may'st have the witness of the Spirit of God to testifie unto thee that thy sins are pardoned Now blessed is the man whose iniquities are forgiven seeing God the Father Son and Holy Ghost is so much in it CHAP. VIII

expression as if it were so there is no Text of Scripture hath those words there is one Text of Scripture this is taken out of but that is spoken to another end and therefore you had need to examine what is spoken 't is Ezek. 18.21 this comes the nearest to those words mark this Scripture and see what you can have from thence to defer the seeking of Gods pardoning mercy and grace till sickness and death But if the wicked shall turn from all his sins that he hath committed and keep all my Statutes and do that which is lawful and right he shall surely live he shall not die here this Scripture does not limit a time though it says not At what time soever it says if he turn from all his sins and keep all my Statutes and do that that is lawful and right so that this Scripture promises mercy to one that turns from all his sins and will keep all Gods Statutes and so do all that is lawful and right But now if you put it off to the time of sickness and death How can you do all this Turn from all sin and keep all Gods Statutes then or How can you do that is lawful and right then it must be then when you can keep all Gods Statutes as well as turn from all your sins so that if you take all together there is not so much incouragement to that which is so frequent in your mouths At what time soever a sinner repents it must be at such a time as that you must keep all Gods Statutes but further God speaks here to the Jews according to the condition of the Covenant of works because they made account to be justified by the Law says God you will put it off and think at last to turn from your wicked wayes and that I will have mercy on you I but look to it if you will repent it must be such a repentance as must be joyned with a keeping all my Statutes therefore those that do not understand the way of the Gospel but depend upon a repentance on their death-beds God will hold you to this Scripture that you must repent at such a time as that you must keep all Gods Statutes then you see this is the worst time of all to defer repentance till your sick-beds or death-beds for how can you keep all Gods Statutes then and do all that is lawful and right then 5. It is the worst time because all the tag-rag all the base and v●lest wretches in the world will come in then And what hast thou no other spirit but to defer coming in till then Hast thou no more care of thy soul no more love to God and his ways but to put it off till such a time as all the abominable wretches in the world will come in that is the seventh way in dishonouring the pardoning grace of God by seeking it in the worst time that possible can be 8. The Eighth way of dish●nouring the pardoning grace of God and the most considerable of all is the seeking and expecting of it any other way but only through the Mediation of the Son of God I told you in the opening of the glorious mysteries of pardoning grace that it must be done by a Mediator Now not only gross ignorant people but many others dishonour the pardoning grace of God they are not sensible of this that it is such grace that only comes through the Mediation of the Son of God We have too low thoughts of the pardoning grace of God if we do think there is a possibility of attaining it any other way than by the mediation of him that is God-Man If we think our crying to God at any time will do it or our roaring out in anguish of spirit forty fifty or sixty years is enough to do it or that there is any thing to attain it by under the mediation of the Son of God we have too low thoughts of the pardoning grace of God we give not God that honour that is due unto it Luther has a notable expression to this purpose It is a horrible blasphemy if you presume to pacifie God by any works 't is an excellent speech so I say 't is horrible blasphemy and intolerable to think to have any thing in the least of your own to presume upon that God will be pacified with it whereas God cannot be pacified by any other means then by the infinite price of the Death and Blood of his own Son one drop of which is more precious than all the creatures of Heaven and Earth God will say Have I revealed such a way of being reconciled with my Creatures and that at such a rate and infinite price as the death of my own Son Shall his life and blood go to procure pardon one drop of which is more worth than ten thousand worlds and when all this is done shall my creature think to put me off by a poor work of their own prayers tears good meaning or the like or with the most glorious work that they can perform for the greatest and most glorious work that they can perform is not near worth so much as one drop of the blood of Christ And if you have not such high thoughts of Gods Pardoning Mercy that it must be procured by that which hath more worth in it than all the Creation besides you do dishonour it by having such low thoughts of it when as you think to obtain it by any duty that you can do you think God is a merciful God and you hope upon your reforming and performing duties of Obedience that God will be pacified towards you for all that is amiss Certainly when you have these thoughts of Gods pardoning grace you make it to be but as common and ordinary pity towards one in misery but the grace of God is a higher thing than common pity and compassion and it is a mighty dishonour to God to have no higher thoughts of it that you think of it but as of common pity and compassion that one creature hath unto another or if you think it differs from that pity one creature hath to another it is but a difference in degrees only you think it is a little higher in degree but you must look upon it in another way and as another kind of pity then one creature bears to another it is true Gods pardoning his poor creatures is in pity and compassion but it is through the death and satisfaction of his own Son and if you think to procure it any other way than by the mediation of the Son of God you look upon it but in a natural way as nature will dictate unto you for nature will dictate that the beholding of one crying out in misery will move pity and compassion and you go no further But you are to know the pardoning grace of God is the most supernatural and mysteriousest thing in all the Book of God therefore when God works in us

we must act faith upon it in a mystical way or act faith upon it as a great mysterie and therefore you that have been made sensible of sin it may be you have thought of Gods grace for the pardon and forgiveness of your sins and for to quiet the trouble of your spirits Have you done that there is I suppose many a poor soul may say I have been often with God when no eye saw me but only Gods seeking the pardon of my sin in trouble of spirit you have done so but has your eye at that time been fastened on the Son of God as the great Mediator between God and Man to interceed to God the Father for the obtaining this mercy by making satisfaction to infinite Justice Together with your cries for pardon have your eyes been upon the Son of God at the right hand of the Father pleading for man Have your hearts been taken with the great mysteries of godliness and wrought upon by the infinite grace of God Have you put forth a mighty power of the Spirit of Faith to tender up to God the Father the Attonement that his Son has made by his blood and death for your sins Have you seen that the pardoning grace of God is so high that it is impossible to be reach't unto by any thing you can do but only by the mediation of the Son of God If it have been thus with your spirits then you have somewhat of the sense of the great work of God in this thing but otherwise though you have been never so much wrought on and have had floods of sorrow and have cryed never so earnest for the pardon of your sins yet except you have had some such kind of thoughts of Gods grace as these are upon your hearts working after God this way you were never throughly acquainted with the way of Gods pardoning grace and so you have dishonoured him by having too low thoughts of it except your hearts have been raised to this height Psal 51.7 in that time when David was on repenting he called unto God to purge him with Hysop David desired the renewing of the assurance of Gods mercy in Christ in the pardoning of that horrible offence he had committed and therefore prays that he may be purged with Hysop What is the meaning of that there is a great mystery in it in the time of the Law when the blood was sprinkled it was done with a bunch of Hysop and it was a Type of the Blood of Christ that was to make an Attonement Levit. 14. They were to take a bunch of Hysop to sprinkle withal Now says David Purge me with Hysop that is apply to me the blood of Christ for I have need of fresh applications of the blood of Christ I have sinned against him and have done what in me lay to bring my self under Gods wrath and have brought new guilt upon my soul Now for the assurance of thy love to me let there be fresh applications of the blood of thy Son let there be a new sprinkling of the blood of thy Son upon me I suppose many of you in reading this place did not think of the meaning of the Spirit of God in it that may be a great help unto you when at any time you are seeking the pardon of your sins to cry to God to be purged with Hysop O Lord sprinkle the blood of Christ afresh upon me for I know that all my Prayers and Tears and all that I can do cannot purge me from the guilt of that sin I have committed against thee except thou purge me with Hysop that is by applying of the Blood of thy Son unto me And this is the Eighth way of dishonouring the grace of God in seeking for it any other way than through the blood of his Son and remember when you are seeking it that it may be the last time and therefore remember you look up to God for it in by and through the death of his Son for otherwise though you are never so earnest in Prayer you dishonour this grace It is an easie matter to convince men and women that they are guilty of dishonouring the grace of God if they seek for pardon in a negligent and sluggish way but now though you are never so sensible and put forth never so much strength in seeking for it yet you dishonour God except you look upon it as such a high thing that can never be reacht unto but through the mediation of the Son of God 9. The ninth way of dishonouring the grace of God is for any one to venture on sin the rather because they hope they shall be pardoned that dare to venture on sin on that ground hoping that God will at last pardon them I spake before of those that did nothing else but increase their sins in stead of seeking pardon of sin and of the miserable sad condition of such But those we now speak of are not such as are come to this height of sinning to do nothing else but increase their sins but such men and women who being convinc't of sin and if they were perswaded that God would never pardon that sin they would find knots enough to stop them from the commission of it but because they have some hopes that God will pardon therfore on that very ground they venture on sin 't is true it is an offence but God is a merciful God he will forgive though it be an evil there is more evil and mischeif in this than thou can'st imagin What art thou convinc't of sin and wilt thou venture on sin meerly on this ground because thou hopest that God will pardon thee I may say unto thee as Peter to Simon Magus Act. 8.22 Pray O pray to God that if it be possible this thought of thy heart may be forgiven thee for this thought of thy heart hath so much malignity in it and is so great a provocation against God as possible can be imagined except the sin against the Holy Ghost for any man or women to venture on any sin in hopes of pardon some will say What need we be so strict and trouble our selves so much God is merciful and therefore they think upon that ground they need not be so strict this is a horrible degree of turning the grace of God into wantenness Jude 4. the Apostle speaks of such there that profest they did believe in Christ mark what he says of them There are certain men crept in unawares ungodly men turning the grace of God into laciviousness and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ 't is a most dreadful place if there be any one in the Congregation that have ever had the glorious light of the Gospel revealed to them that can reason thus I do such and such things yet God is merciful O that God would convince thee of this evil give me leave to open it unto you how men creep in they were Christians and were