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	holy_a	scripture_n	6,970	5	5.7262	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B05977	The map of the little world, illuminated with religion being a practical treatise, directing man to a religious scope, and right measure, in all the periods of his life; with devotion suitable. To which is added an appendix, containing a gospel ministers legacie, in some sermons, upon 2 Pet. 1. 12, &c. / By Patrick Strachan minister of the gospel at St. Vigeans.	Strachan, Patrick, fl. 1693.	1693 (1693)	Wing S5775A; ESTC R184656	117,746	314

the equity thereof 2ly The Nature of it particularly as expressed by fire 3ly How to evite it § 2. First Even the Heathen World as they had their Elizium so had they some thoughts of their Tartara and dark Cells for their wicked and the most wicked have been postest with a dread of future rewards and punishments Snares fire and Brimstone shall be the portion of the W●ckeds Cup. And this is so clearly revealed in the Word and even to natural Conscience that no Man except he be a Dull Brute can deny it GOD hath not set up Tophet to boggel us and fill us with Pannick fears but that ye may fear Him Who can cast your Soul and Body into Hell and in so far as sin is in thee it kindles this fi●e which shall burn to the lowest hell and a sinfull Nature is devilish and makes hell regard this Truth then to purifi● thy affections and make th●e flee from the w●ath to come for verily it shall be ill with the Wicked § 3. 2ly As to the nature of it If the wrath of GOD and his firie Indigna●ion against sin Be more Terrible than a River of Brimstone then it is needless to be Curious into the nature of Hell and it is one of the most sad and unfortunate sciences that mortals can Experiment for tho sometimes It signifies Affliction as Jonah 2. 2. And the Psalmist Calls his trouble a horrible Pit And also tho Hell do sometimes express the Grave yet Our Saviour still mentions it as the punishment of the Wi●ked It was never questioned in the Apostolick times whether it's fire was material or not Our LORD is positive Matt. 25. 41. Depart ye Wicked into ●verlasting fire And St. Paul Rom. 2. 1 Calls it fiery indignation And the Apostle Jude the Vengeance of Eternal Fire It is best for us to beleive according to the Scripture and such an apprehension of it may be very useful to the Godly to s●ir up in them a holy Fear Some of the Schoolmen have laboured to prove a material fire for the spirit of the Wicked By the Sympathy of Body and Spirit and that Contact that is still betwixt them Some have called it Light Because of the clear manifestation the wicked have of the wrath of GOD there Some have called i● hidden because it is much hidden from mortals at least the most part will not consider of it But it is safest to keep by the Scriptures and well to apprehend the sentiments of men their spirit feeling in time the Troubles of the Body so may it in Eternity § 4. It is therefore Thirdly best to leave Curiosity and labour how to escape the wrath of GOD by abandoning sin and possessing our Hearts with a Religious fear to ●ffend him knowing that it is a fearful ●hing to fall in the hands of the living GOD For our GOD is a consuming fire The Prayer O Lord who has the Re●es of Hell free me from the bands of sin expell all the fewel of Hell from my heart and nature And grant me such knowledge from thy word of the evil of sin and it's merit that I never experimentally feel H●ll LORD where thou art not there is Hell Thy Face makes Heaven and Thy Furie makes Hell Expell O LORD the Wild-fire of sin and all the longings after the forbidden Fruit Save me that I walk not in darkness of sin that I may escape these dark Regions where thou art not Grant me such a Godly sorrow for sin that all my Hell may be a Penitent Remorse on Earth that I may be delivered from that Gnawing Worm that never dies Grant me that Holie revenge of sin by Repentance that I may escape the vengeance of GOD in the place of torment where there is Weeping and Gn●shing of teeth Give me to beleive Hell that I live not a dying life in it Amen The fourth last thing HEAVEN THOU canst not vigorously strive to enter in except thou hast some foretaste and foresight of it Grace is the beginning of Heaven in thee the Holy Man is a●● Heavenly Man To discourse of Heaven aright requires great Light and Insight i● the Things of God and to help the● Christ came from Heaven to Reveal it His word is the path-way to it and the Holy Spirit the Blessed Guide of the Church And tho thou attain not to Raptures with St. John Rev 2ly Yet true Faith gives us a view of it so as that we may have our Conversation there Phil 3. 20. And therefore let us consider 1st The Vam●ie of this World 2ly That Heaven upon Ear●● to which the Saints should aspire 3ly The full Satisfaction and Joy which is to be the Porti● of the Saints in Glorie ss 2. First The World is an empty thing but a Phantasm and shadow It cannot satisfie it hath not substance men are eager in the pursuit of it as a Fish after a rotten Worm and when it is catcht it proves unsavoury Let us therefore set our Affections on things Above § 3. 2lie Set up Heaven in our hearts by setting up Christ therein For where His Image is stamped it makes us all in Glory keep a closs Communion with God and you are in a Heaven upon Earth for thus are ye carried on from Grace to Glory and from Glory to Glory by the Spirit of God § But 3ly The full Enjoyment of Heaven is so sublimc incommunicable that Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard what good things He hath laid up for them that love Him And tho this too Radient Object in a manner hurts our weak ●piritual Sences yet must we look upon it tho not directly yet by Reflection and Vew it in the Glories of of the Word For Glorious Things are speken ●f the City ●f GOD. The Crown of Gl●ry i● the Gift of GOD the purchase of CHRIST and the Transcendant Pertection of the Saints there is enough revealed to attract our Hearts to refine our Natures and to ripen ●ur Graces for Glory and to repose us in our proper Center Which is GOD Himself and this being such a precious Pearl let us be Vigorous in pursuit after it and lobour by Faith and Patience and a constant course of Virtue to find the accomplishment of the Promises The Apostle had His Plerophory Rom 8 end And such as follow him as he followed CHRIST may attain to a well grounded Hope for it is a pregnant and approved Proposition that such as believe in CHRIST shall not perish but h● everlasting Life to wit with a Lively perative and Obediential Faith shall undoubtedly saved But the Second Pr●position is of our selves to wit I belie● which is not so certain as the first that De side This being only de nobis T● Conclusion halts therefore except we g●● All diligence to make sure our Calling and E●tion so that we can say I do unfienged close with CHRIST and the Terms His Covenant and I resolve whatev●● Temptation occure to stand

their phansie who deny CHRIST's Offices Ministers Ordinances and Institutions will be so bold as to contradict it And therefore it concerns Parents Religiously to go about the Baptism of their Children and remember the great obligation they stand under for their pious Education And of Children baptized to reflect upon it when they come to any Knowledge and to improve it well by the Instruction of their Parents and Tutors whose serious Instructions grave Example and earnest Prayer for Young Ones may help to instill and drop in such Counsels into their easie and blank minds as may leave some Relish as a Vessel may still keep something of the tast and smell of the first liquor according to that Ancient observe quo semel est imbuta c. and this stage of our life may be reckoned to the fourth year of our Age. STAGE Second The Contents Of the particular care of Parents and Governours as to Children from four years old to twelve of studying their nature and genious and the in●●●ling and droping in some clear and common principles of Religion with the consideration of Regeneration and when the Children come to be about twelve years of age of their solemn Confirmation § 1. As the Children grows so should the care of their Parents increase towards them its dangerous to suffer the evil of their Nature to take rooting for then it will turn tenacious and obstinate it 's better to take the little Foxes that hurt their tender Gardens Cant. 2. 6. and by Religious conduct use the best means to Eradicate the corruption of their Nature and to correct that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and disorder that is naturally in them by frequent and gradual dropping of good counsel into their hearts especially by fixing in them the common notion of a GOD and fearing of Him of honouring their Parents And withal to acquaint them with their Baptismal Dedication and in as much as is possible to open up unto them the m●sterie of their redemption through Jesus Christ and that not only they know to Repeat the Law the Creed and Lords Prayer But also to make them according to their capacitie to understand these Thus entereth Knowledge into their Hearts as a little Drop by frequent falling makes a cavity and hollowness in the stone § 2. Although the Spirit of GOD the Author of Regeneration like the wind bloweth when where and how he pleases Joh. 3. v. 8. And calleth some sooner some later yet is it not improper to set it down here for that same LORD that Blessed Babs can Sow the Seed of Grace in their Hearts And of this Regeneration I shall only remember Man of the Necessity Nature and Evidence thereof First as to the necessity Our Saviour is very positive Job 3. v. 2. and 3. Except a man be Born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of GOD and no outward exercise of Religion can avail us without the New Creature the Old-man must be Crucified and the New-man formed and Nurished ere we can be fit for the Kingdom of GOD. And 2ly We cannot better take up the Nature of it than by considering the Author and the manner of his Operation in producing this Work It is only the Spirit of GOD that doth it so is every one that is born of the Spirit John 3. 8. Of His own Will begatt He us that we should be a kind of first Fruits of His Creatures Jam 1. 18. This New Creature then is clearly the Product of the Spirit of GOD Who doth this work mediatly by the use of means especially by the Word o● Truth and other holy Engines that he is pleased to make use of Yet is not this Work produced of any means but by the concurse of the principal Agent the Word illuminats and perswads but there 's more then Moral Swasion in this Work for GOD's promise in the Covenant is to put his Laws in our inward parts Jer 3. 33. They receive by their Conversion a heavenly seed which abideth in them that will not suffer them to sin as the wicked do John 3. 9. Whosoever is born of GOD doth not commit sin for His seed remains in him and he cannot sin because he is born of GOD. Yet as to the production of this new Creature it may be so secret for a time like the Infant in the Womb so clouded and over-powr'd by Temptation and Corruption that it doth little appear and it takes a long time ere it become perfect in degrees and visibly compleat as to parts althô the Child tho little and weak is potentially a perfect man Parents then and Governours should with St. Paul travel in birth till Christ be formed in their Children 3ly As to its Evidence the Apostle manifests it fully 2 cor 5. 17 Behold all things are become New The man is wholly renewed in Quality tho not in Substance so that he may very well say Ego non sum ego He hath a more generous spirit with Caleb a better heart with David a more shinin● face with Moses and the lips of the Righteous feed many And tho no man ca● make this Change yet is he exhorted to make him a new heart Ezek. 18 31. Th●● is to use the means and well to consider that the spirit of GOD begets this ne● Creature by the word of Truth Jam 1 18 That such may be a kind of first fruits of H●● Creatures and for himself to show forth● His praise Who hath called them from darkness to Light § 3. It is very promotive of Grace also when Children comes to this state of Life that they be Confirmed after they can give any account of their Creed and of their Prayers according to the Blessed Pattern The LORDS Prayer For we read frequently in the Acts of Confirming the Disciples after they were Prose●●ted to the Christian Religion whereby the new Plantation was fixed and by a sort of personal Covenanting with GOD they were Engaged to His Service by their Voluntar Consent This is the practice of the Universal Church Which if simply done and not elevated unto a Sacrament is laudable and promotive of the Ends of Religion And tho it be quarrelled with by some in this Nation Yet if it could be got well done in every particular Parish Since the Bishop may not be alwayes Vacant it may be thought no Disorder for the Parish Minister every year as Occasion offers to do this in the presence of the Parents and famous Witnesses personally and particularly to joyn them to the LORD And if there were not alas too great incuriousness about matters of Religion a mean so helpful to the ends thereof may be put in use So to conclude this Point I shall Reinforce my earnest Exhortation to Christian Parents in behalf of their Children for this particular instance of their Care for their Souls and to remember Gospel Ministers of their duty as to this And since through the unsetledness of the Times it can

br●ken and Strangers shall not meddle with our J●ye● nor the Impure eat the Childrens food This shall confute all such as decry Religion and comfort all that have the Real Life of it and make them say with St. Paul The Life we now live is by Faith in the Son of GOD. 4ly This will open a door and Entrance to the Kingdom of O●r LORD JESUS CHRIST and will prove a more solid way to make us Draw near to GOD with full assurance of faith and be a more sure ground to us than all the heats and heights of Religion which are but transient and perhaps flow from humour and Complexion but this makes the spirit of G●ory dwell in us Gives us a clean conscience washt with pure water Heb 10. end to draw near to GOD So that a trembling humble Gh●istian that with St. Paul cryes ●ut O wretched man that I am Rom. 7. end May be neerer the Joy of the Lord than the other So that whoever seek a proof of Christ sn us We shall prove it best by Works and Fruits and the New Creature is the most infallible mark of bein● in Christ 2 Cor 5 17. and True si●●cere Obedience is the great specifick and genuine propertie of true Christianism And further to clear you in all this let us confront the privilidges and properties of the Christi●n if any separate them he is like a Man catching the Crown with out the Conquest but the true Christian reacheth one hand in the Crown and wi●h the other holds his W●apon to fight for the Prize that through ●aith and p●tience and unwearied W●ll ●●ing he may inheri● the Promises What more excellent then the precious Promis●p●ut we must add Vertue to our faith 〈◊〉 th●se Promises the Christians Claim is ind●ed great for all are yours sayeth 〈◊〉 But such as are Christs sayeth he have crucified the flesh with its lusts and effections But to come nearer the con●●xt from 2. ver to this 12 the Apostl● speaks of beleivers attaining like precious faith with the Apostlesfor their is but one faith which the Apostles Beleived pr●pagated once delivered to the Sa 〈◊〉 as 〈◊〉 J●de sayeth and this faith Acts 15. 9. purifi●th the heart and life And having that same faith of the Apostles we should live according to our measures as the Apostles then should the Pure and Primitive Church revive But alas Were St. Paul now at Rome he should find it much more Heathen than in his time and very unlike these whose faith was spoken of through the World O then if people would walk suitably to that noble Gift of Faith which is given us 2ly The full Instructions the Christians have All things sayes the Apostle that pertain to Life and Godliness Glory and Veri●e We want nothing to furnish us for every good Work The whole Council of GOD Acts 20. 27. All things to make us Godly and Glorious we have the Word of GOD to make us wise to Salvation and the Spirit of GOD to lead us into all Truth Improve then your priviledges For if ve know these things happy are ye if ve do them 3ly We have the great Gift of the Promises as the Apostle sayeth here But yet having these Promises let us cleanse our selves from all silthiness of flesh and spirit 2 Cor. 7. 1. and take head least a promise being made thus of entering into his Rest we fall short But if Piety be joyned with the Promises then we partake of the Divine Nature and have another Spirit a new Heart Lif● and new Affections and thus the Sai●● are in their measure Divinized and sp●ritualsed and Created after GOD 〈◊〉 Righteousness and true Holmess And so to conclude this truth 〈◊〉 would warn you not ha●ilv to catch a● the Promises but labour to lay hold on them by a lively Faith and Well-doin● Be not too ●aring least ye presume prove your title first And then glory in your priviledges make your selves meet for the Inheritance and then you are sure of it and let the glory of that great Claim indeer your Hearts to Duty to jo●n your selves in a perpetual Covenant with the LORD never to be forgot Jer. 50. Sermon II. The Duty and Diligence of the Apostolick C●rate or Gospel Minister described With the Matter and manner of his Preaching and the Quality of Christians in the time of the prime of Christianity Vpon Verse 12. THe Apostle falls now to a closs Application of the Doctrin formerly mentioned in this Chapter wherein he relates the Duty of the Minister that he should not be negligent but busie in the exercise of his holy Office 2ly The great Subject of his D●ctrine these Things 3ly The way of his I●culcating the said Doctrine upon the Hearts of People And 4ly The Qualification of People in these Times I begin with the First b●th negatively and positively described Doct. 1 which teacheth us That a Gospel Minister should be very intent upon his great and weighty Work This St Peter declares of himself and St. Paul also frequently mentions his great business These two Pillars of the Church the Apostles of the C●rcumcision Uncircumcision follow the the great Luminary their Blessed Master and stand as eminent Examples to all the Officers of the Church of Christ And this Apostle describeth his Duty 1st In his care for the Good of Souls to whom he wrote 2ly That he was not negligent but Diligent in his Imployment First His great care for the Church and the good of Souls The care of Souls is worthy to ●e fined from the most intensive affections of the H●art It is such 〈◊〉 Pious and Divine Affection that GOD Himself describs His ea●nest Compassion● to His People thereby As our Saviout sh●ws us in His Sermon upon the Mount Upon which account St. Paul bids us be careful for nothing but by Prayer and Supplication make our request known to GOD And St. Peter so exhorts also casting all your ca●es upon GOD who careth for you It was our Saviour's care for Souls that brought Him from Heaven to us and when on Earth made Him so diligent to Preach Pray and Weep for his Church This care of Souls went nearer St. Pauls Hea●t than all his troubles for beside all things that are without said he that which comes upon me dayly the care for all the Churches The true natural Father hath a great care for his Children and the Spiritual Parent no less for I have no greater Joy sayeth St. John than to see my Children walking in the Truth F●r such is the subtility and labour of the evil one ●o seduce and corrupt our Flock And alas such is the carelesness and incuriousness of the most as to Spiritnol Matters like Gallio careing for none of these things and such are the many incumbrances anent the World and what is worst of all even a careful Contrivnance of many to prosecute their sinful ends that a faithful Minister shall find great Reason of serious

hid but to such as are lost Moreover If we consider the exact Impletion of the Prophesies concerning him even unto the least circumstance of his Incarnation Con●●●tion Birth Breeding Life Death and Resurrection We have an Accumulation of Proofs for the Verity of the Christian Religion and the Founder of it for if we consider its Original the Purity of its Precepts the Glory of its design the Comfort of its promises and the Divinity of its Proposals We may acquiesce here and confess its Truth and Verity And if we shall confront it with other Religions of the Jews which was but temporary of the Heathens which was but Vanity of the Mabumitants which is a devilish delusion made up of lies and impossibilities We shall find that the Spirit of Christianity remains in the bosome of Glory alwayes Holy Victorious and Triumphant over impiety and confirmed by a cloud of Witnesses sealed by the blood of millions of Martyls approved by General Councils and the Universal Consent of the Catholick Church and clearly demonstrated to be of GOD and for GOD that a Christian may upon good Ground say sit anima mea cum Christiani● Let my Soul be with the Christians But there is so much said to this purpose that I cannot add but to resume the Doctrine of the Apostle That Christianity is not fabulous but infallible Truth And because there are so many Pretenders to True and Holy Religion and the different Sentiments of the Papal and Protestant Church And even Differences among themselves I hope I shall not di gress from the Paths of T●u● to assert that True Protestanis●n in true Christianity It being the very Doctrine of Christ and his Apost●es and the purest and p●imitive times of the Church And having made Sucession from the Spurious Doctrine of the degenerate Church of Rome And it may be safely said that the Trash of its impure Doctrine its lying Wonders and Legends doth expose that Church to the Impious and Blasphemous Exp●ession of one of its Popes who said Quantum nob●● prodest haec fabula Christi What avail is that Fable of Christ to us And as the Truth of Christianity is fully demonstrated so in the next place are we to consider The Power wherewith the coming of Christ was attended It would seem from Isaiah 53. That he came in weakness and so did the Jewish and Heathen World look upon him But they took that measures from outward Appearance and did not consider the Vertue that was in him as God and God man which made his Manger more glorious to the Eye of Faith than a Palace or Bed of State he was Crucified through Weakness yet conceals His Power for Who might abide the Day of his first coming Mal. 3. 2. He was Glorious in his Abaseours Honourable in his Humiliation and was the King of Glo●ie's Son in his Pilgrimage He was a Lamb in his Meekness but a Lyon in his Power He came to dash the dark Kingdom to destroy the W●rks of the Devil and to bring Life and Immortality to Light by his Gospel and to cast down the Prince of this World to deliver his People from Bondage and to lead Captivity Captive to tread Satan under our Feet to discover the Evil of Sin and the Beauty of Holiness And this he did by a Seraphick and Angelical Purity yet in a wonderous Condescention and Familiarity attended with such Glorious Mi●acles famous Monuments powerful Doctrine With Authority and not as the Scribes That we shall see his Glories Conspicuous under the Vail of flesh and all the Umbrage of his Life served to raise his Glory to a higher pitch● as the Sun is more conspicuous after a cloud So that it is very evident and observable That Christ's first coming was with Power Doct. 2 and the Doctrine he propagate is the Power of God to Salvat●on Let his People therefore be willing in the day of his Power And learn to be swayed with the right Scepter of this Kingdom If a Foelix tremble before a Prisoner in a Chain if King Agrippa be almost perswaded to be a Christian● Let us learn to give our Necks to his Powerful though Easie yoak Least he dash us i● peices when there is none to deliver Let us not stumble with the Jew nor count it foolish●ess with the Greek but believe it and we shall behold Christ the Power of God● and the Arm of God Although there be no need of further Witnesses yet the more to confirm us of the Truth and Power of the Gospel We have this Apostle and others with him is Oculati Testes of CHRIST's Maj●stie famous and unanimous in their Testimony who could say vincit Veritas Vidi Scivi audivi Truth prevails and has the Testimony of GOD and Man of Angels and Saints Prophets and Apostles Martyrs and Confessors And every One that hath received this Testimony hath put t●o their Seal that GOD is True The grea● improvement that Improv I shall make of this whole purpose is that the Character of our life ccrrespond with the truth and Realitie of our Religion that is that we be Ethically of true and morally true in the practice of our holy Profession that we be not paint ed formal and false as to a real way bus suitable to the excellent principles of our holy faith if ye abide in my word sayes CHRIST ye are my Disciples indeed Joh. 8 3. It is not a name of a Christian but the truth of Christianity that approves us to GOD. Many have a name not only general as Christians but as more eminent professors I say a name that they are living when dead Rev 3. 1. many flatter themselves in a Profession and Church Priviledge even into the end and will say have we not eaten and drunken in thy presence hast thou not taught in our streets To whom CHRIST will say depart from me c. I never owned nor approved you as mine Many have CHRIST in their mouth and can say LORD LORD but do not the works that he bids them This was a sad disease in the Ancient Church for the Circumcised l ived as the uncircumcised Moab Ammon and Amalek were uncircumcised and the house of Israel uncircumcised in their heart This the Prophets cryed out against reproving people that boasted of the Temple Jer 8. And yet lived in villany But GOD and his Temple are no sanctu arie to prophanity and such boastings are so fan from excusing that they aggravate Peoples faults and in effect GOD sayes to the Wicked what hast thou to do to declare my statues It was so in the times of our Saviour and the Apostles and in the beginning of Christianity the filthy Gnosticks were great boasters of knowledge● and priviledges and prophanity came to such a hight that Irreligion became to be patronised by false Prophets As the Doctrine of the Nicolaitans Jezeb●l and ●thers and this Spirit of lyes was justly poured out upon many for not suitable to