Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	apostle_n	faith_n	zion_n	41	3	9.0956	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94345	The rest of faith: that is, soules fixed and established in God by believing on him through the Lord Jesus Christ. With the grounds of this faith from sanctified reason, the benefits of faith, and the evils of unbeliefe. / Proved by Gods Word, and presented to open view, by Coll. Robert Tichborne.	Tichborne, Robert, Sir, d. 1682.	1649 (1649)	Wing T1151; Thomason E544_2; ESTC R203790	133,030	166

Lament 3.24 The Lord is my portion saith my soule therefore will I hope in him This soule beleeveth God to be its portion and therefore lives upon God thus faith pitcheth upon what God is in himselfe to satisfie the soule withall the Prophet Habakkuk in his faith on God mentioned in his 3 Chapt. vers 17. to the end is a very emminent proofe to this truth he telleth us there Although the fig-tree shall not blosome neither shall fruit be in the Vines the labour of the Olive shall faile and the fields shall yeeld no meate the flocke shall be cut off from the fould and there shall bee no heard in the stalles Yet I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation The Lord God is my strength Observe the frame of his spirit and it speakes this That though all creature comfort should faile and be cut off from him yet that could not empty him of joy and rejoycing so long as the Lord continued to be the God of his salvation and his strength what doth this speake but that the Prophet lived purely upon what was in God and upon God himselfe as the God of his salvation for had his life been out of God his joy and rejoycing would have been cut off when the creatures of all kindes and in all places did faile but his soule living purely upon what God was in himselfe his joyes are alwayes green because God is the fountaine of his joy this is truly the benefit of the life of faith in the soule that must needs be a living advantage that leades the soule to a living fountaine and layes it to rest in the armes of God satisfying the soule with what flowes from the bosome of God that soule can never feare wants that hath this for its beliefe that what God is in himselfe he is for that soule and what is communicable in God shall according to the wants of that soule be communicated to it and this is the life of faith a life of joy and rest in God living upon the everliving God it is esteemed an advantage to joy and rest by the worldling to have his Bags and his Barnes full it is truly an advantage of joy and rest to a believer to live upon a full for God is ever full though the field and the barne faile though the bag have a hole in the bottome and cannot hold what is put into it yet the soule that liveth on God is full of joy and rest because God never failes Nay this is the advantage of a believing soule that liveth by faith in God it lives spiritually the streames that continually runs through the soule are Evangelicall the light is pure it is the light of the Lord the life is pure it is the life of God is lives upon what is in Heaven in God there is its treasure and its heart also the life of faith it is the evidence of things not seen not common objects to earthly eyes but sublime and spirituall objects the grace love redemption purity power and faithfulnesse of God these are the objects of faith which doe certainely make a most glorious life and rest in the soule this soule is of Heaven heavenly it is begot and new borne in Heaven and there it lives where ever it moves though the body be caryed from one piece of earth to another yet the heart is always in Heaven the object rest joy and satisfaction of this soule is spirituall God is all to this soule and all its life is in God the eye is spirituall and the heart is spirituall this eye doth alwayes see that in God which satisfieth the heart for the heart seasts and filleth it selfe with what it seeth and injoyeth in God if the Rocks in the Wildernesse should give no water yet the spirituall eye seeth Christ to be a Rock and a fountaine of life and there it drinketh and satisfieth it selfe with the waters of life the Prodigall had this eye when he said In my Fathers house is bread enough that eye which beholds God as a Father doth acknowledge that there is bread of life enough in God and that is the spirituall eye that eye of faith which makes God in single object and satisfies the heart with what God is in himselfe and to h●s people such souls as by experience knows what it is to live by faith in God I am sure doe value this as an exceeding great benefit and advantage of the life of saith that it hath God to live upon for its life A second benefit of faith in the soule is this By faith soules attaine to the righteousnesse of God which is Christ a believing soule makes Christ its righteousnesse so the Apostle Paul Phil 3.9 Phil. 3.9 And bee found in him not having mine owne righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which i● through the faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by faith So long as this Apostle lived in his legal spirit principles his legall duties and priviledges were his righteousnesse but so soone as the life of faith lives in his soule Christ is made the righteousnesse of his soule hee counts all his former righteousnesse but as drosse and dung Now nothing will satissie his soule but to be found in Christ that is to have Christ his righteousnesse that God may behold him in Christ his owne righteousnesse faith it climes as high as God for righteousnesse nothing below Christ must be a righteousnesse to a believing soule To be found in him Christ the righteousnesse which it of God by faith When faith seeks a righteousnesse it restes no where till it attaine Christ Rom. 9.30 who is the righteous of God And this righteousnesse the Apostle telleth us in Rom. 9.30 That the Gentiles attained to by faith That the Gentiles have obtained righteousnesse even the righteousnesse of faith That is they have by faith pitched upon Christ for righteousnesse and so through believing have attained the true righteousnesse that righteousnesse which the soule can attaine to no other way but by believing the Jewes in all their legall duties could not attaine to that righteousnesse which the Gentiles did by believing The righteousnesse of God is not of works but by faith Christ is Gods righteousnesse he doth purchase and redeem the soule to believe faith doth not purchase Christ for a righteousnesse but believe in the purchase and redemption that Christ hath made for it and so attaines Christ its righteousnesse who is Gods righteousnesse and in whom the soule is to all eternity righteous in the sight of God Rom. 4.3 Thus was Abrahams beleeving in God accounted to him for righteousnesse It is not Abrahams doing but his believing by which he attaines to the righteousnesse of God and is counted righteous in the sight of God Gods righteousnesse is the gift of his free grace and can be attained by the soule no other way but in believing because any other

soule is the life of faith and the effect of faith in the soule is a weaning of it from the World by a gathering of it into God The last benefit of faith in God which I shall mention is this True faith in God doth truly fixe and establish the soules of Beleevere in the redemption of Gods free grace from all our enemies from sinne death Hell Law grave men and Devils none of these can hurt or destroy such soules as lives in the free grace of God by faith free grace it freely pardons finne and so plucks out the sting of death delivers from the jawes of Hell satisfies and fulfils the Law gathers from the grave that which in sowne in corruption and cloathes it with incorruption chains up the power and malice of men and Devils against his people this free grace doth and by faith the soule lives thus on God by which it becomes a fixed and established soule beleeving soules are not like the restlesse waves of the Sea that rowle from shore to shore and soame up their owne mire but they are soules fixed in God and Christ God by faith did answer the Prophets prayer which de●●red to be led to that Rock which was higher then himselfe that is the work of faith it leads the soul to God and Chirst and then it is an established soule it is then built upon 〈◊〉 Rock higher then it selfe so that windes cannot shake it nor 〈◊〉 undermine it as if it had built upon a sandy soundation faith builds upon a Rock and that the Rock of Ages i● 〈◊〉 in the free grace of God the redemption and the righteousnesse of Christ so that neither life nor death nor any thing no not finne shall ever be able to separate such soules from God and Christ and hence it is that soules beleeving thus in God through Christ by his spirit are fixed and established soules the Prophet David in Psal 125.1 gives in testimony to this benefit of faith in the soule he telleth us there They that tr●st in the Lord shall be as mount Zion which cannot be moved but abideth for ever Faith in God fixeth the soule in everlasting safety and keepes it upon a Rock of establishment even when Earth and Heaven is shaking Now I shall gather up what I aime at in all this in reference to my owne soule and others and it is singly this to eye God with a single eye and to rest upon him with a steady undoubting heart by a single eye I meane a single heart fixed upon what God is does and sayes concerning his people and then by faith to apply and appropriate that to our selves resting steadily and undoubtingly upon him assuring our soules that what hee sayes concerning us he will fully make good unto us God cannot lye when he speakes he speakes his heart and what is in his heart to doe no power or powers can hinder his hand from doing such soules then as thus see God and rest upon him are sure to be established so as the counsell of good King Jeboshaphat is worthy to be received by all soules Beleave in the Lord your God so shall you be established Then first give me leave to advise to a serions and constant inquiry after God if establishment in the soule come by believing in God then knowing of God aright is of absolute necessity 〈◊〉 such a believing now soules sleight or inconstant in their inquities after God in what he is doth and saith are very unlikely soules to come to such a knowledge of him as will bring forth beliefe to establishment It was the saying of an established soule in God I know whom I have trusted and doubtlesse there had not been trust to establishment but that knowledge was in the very foundation the argument seemeth to me to runne thus I know God and therefore I have trusted in him and 〈◊〉 I know him I am assured I shall not be deceived by him so that from this knowledge I am established through believing darknesse is the proper wombe of feare there in nothing else foturely begotten there so is light of faith and establishment thi● I say and speake by experience in which I shall appeale to the ●●perience of all Saints that the more any soule truely knows God the more that soule will trust him therefore give mee leave againe to say Be serious and constant in the inquiries after God study him as he is in himselfe in his Christ and our Saviour i● his Covenant of free grace in all his promises and performances in his word and workes in our owne and other Saints experiences of him And this I dare boldly affirme the more God is thus spiritually knowne of his people the more he will be admired loved and trusted by them and such soules the more truly established Secondly This seemes to be suitable advice to be exceeding watchfull over Satan and our owne hearts in all the temptations to or movings of unbeliefe in our soules there is nothing so great a friend to the Kingdome of Satan and so great an eneny to the Kingdome of Gods free grace as unbeliefe is nor can any sinne so certainely destroy the soule as unbeliefe nay all other sinnes without this can never destroy any soule doubtlesse these reasons have weight enough in them to make Christian soules stand upon their guard against this enemy of unbeliefe it is the Generall of the Host of evill it commands all other sinnes and where it enters it comes with great attendants of evils subservant to is selfe unbeliefe is the supreame Agient in the World for the Prince of darknesse in what ever God is distrusted and not believed Satan shall surely be served Faith is that Anchor that keeps the soule close to God if that be plucked up Satan sils the Sailes I meane the heart with the World and so carryes the Vessell where he pleaseth Faith is Gods interest and unbeliefe the Devile interest in the soule and at the last day when Christ shall give the Devill his due I mean his share of men in the world i● will be onely unbelievers for he hath interest in nor can lay claime to none else therefore unbeliefe should be dreaded as the Devils brand that by which he markes his owne distrust God and honour Satan for they cannot be parted he that doth the former cannot avoyd the latter A soule watchfull in this thing i● so for Gods glory its owne peace and eternall saivation for these two can never be parted what preserves the one preserves the other but unbeliefe looseth both consider free grace is the originall the first cause of all Gods promises to and his dealings with his people Now a distrust in these how doth it dishonour God and not onely unestablish but undoe our owne soules therefore no enemy so dangerous as unbeliefe and should with most watchfulnesse be prevented unbeliefe it opposeth Gods ends in his Covenant of free grace and in all his gracious promises