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	speak_v	word_n	9,283	5	4.1967	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93755	A sermon on I Chron. 29, 18 and now published, because of the exceeding usefulness of this subject, unto all Christians of every perswasion or denomination whatsoever ... : wherein also is shewed what it is to teach for hire, and divine for money, and that objection is answered, which some do frame ... against that maintenance ... which true gospel ministers ought to have in these dayes under that dispensation / by Richard Stafford.	Stafford, Richard, 1663-1703.	1697 (1697)	Wing S5132; ESTC R42863	20,007	24

of Abraham Isaac Iacob or Israel The Reason hereof seems to be near to this effect and purpose We read how that Abraham Isaac Jacob or Israel were precious Saints and servants of God in their day and in their Generation and thereupon God came to be in Covenant with them and was in a peculiar manner their God Now therefore if you will Obey my Voice indeed and keep my Covenant then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people For all the Earth is mine Exod. 19 5. And so God is the God of all Men and Women as they are his Creatures and the Inhabitants of his Earth but by the way of Peculiarity Emphasis or Property or Propriety he is only the God of his Saints and servants The Lord knoweth them that are his 1. Tim. 2. 19. But is He the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob only No for he is the God of all their Children also even of all those who do the Works of Abraham and of all those who are faithfull as Abraham was who is stiled the Father of the Faithful But because that from the Loins of these three Men who did every one of them successively fear and serve the Lord in their time There Sprang even of one for One was his Son the other was his Grand-Son and him as good as dead so many as the Stars of the Skie in Multitude and as the Sand which is by the Sea-shore Innumerable even a very Numerous Posterity and great People who were Elect and Beloved of God before the other Nations of the Earth for their Fathers sake Therefore the Scriptures in sundry and many places Stiles him by the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. But whereas it is said in the close of our Text And prepare their hearts unto thee Hereby another Truth doth shine and appear forth viz. That God hath but one way in bringing many Sons Daughters unto Glory or in bringing all the Sons and Daughters of Men that ever go there unto Heaven Even by preparing their heart unto himself That is by bringing them to himself in this world that he may bring them to his own home in the World to come Moreover Brethren I would not that ye should be ignorant how that all our Fathers were under the clouds and all passed through the Sea And did all eat the same Spiritual Meat And did all Drink the same Spiritual Drink 1 Cor. 10. 1 3 4. And so all the People that ever went to Heaven and are now a going in their journey to it or who shall be born and Inherit that Happy Countrey hereafter they all Go the very same way If you ask me what that way is It is the old Trodden way by the Saints And a way and it shall be called the way of Holiness Isa 35. 8. It is the way of Universal Obedience and confirming all the words of Gods Law to do them and not Observing some and Neglecting others as the manner of many is It is the way of drawing near to God to which the Promise is James 4. 〈◊〉 And he will draw nigh unto you Or as it is in the last words of our Text by preparing their heart unto him Which again is done as appears by the Context and the verse immediately following By keeping this for ever in the Imagination of the Thoughts of our hearts to have a determinate Obedident and Perfect heart and mind to keep constantly and at all Times the Commandments the Testimonies and the Statutes of the Lord. And also such Divine Truths or Knowledge of the things of God and of his Kingdom should be for ever kept in the heart with the Sence and Remembrance of them which should Actually perswade exhort and incline unto the same good thing From this manner of Speech Prepare their heart unto thee and from what is else-where written And he shall go before him in the Spirit and Power of Elias to turn the hearts of the Fathers to the Children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just to make ready a People prepared for the Lord. Luke 〈◊〉 17. We see that there are two things which the Ministry and Preaching of the Word doth drive and intend at the First is To Convert Sinners and to turn to Righteousness and then the next thing is in a further Degree and Proficiency even to make them a People prepared for the 〈◊〉 to prepare their hearts unto thee Which two things have 〈◊〉 the only Ends and Intent of all the Sermons that ever Preached in this Place or design to Preach throughout all my Succeeding Life Remembring still that as the ●●●de or Hook are in the hands of the Gardiner for digging 〈◊〉 the Earth or Pruning of Trees even so we Creatures 〈◊〉 Ministers are but living Instruments in the Hands of God to dig or cultivate our own hearts or the hearts of other People For we are Labourers together with God ye are Gods Husbandry ye are Gods Building 1. Cor. 3. 9. And 〈◊〉 as before Observed How David Prayed immediately to God To keep this for ever in the Imagination of the Thoughts of the heart of thy People though we are to Endeavour to keep it our selves so Here again he lifts up the other Petition unto God Immediately prepare their hearts unto thee Though here again we are to Endeavour to prepare our own hearts As also besides this there is the Word appointed and the Ministry or Preaching thereof who heareth are become labourers together with God It is a Bold and Great Expression of the Apostle Paul which he speaks forth by the Spirit to make them a people prepared for the Lord or to prepare their hearts unto him So hath God provided and Established and so should Things Cooperate and Work together for the common Salvation of mankind But Beloved that are here present I hope that most of ye are among the latter sort I mean that ye are a-verted from Sin and Converted to God in the General and ye are amongst those who are preparing for the Lord or preparing their hearts to seek him or preparing for Heaven For when we Read and Consider how that Jesus our forerunner is gone to prepare a Place for you John 14. 3. To this must answer some act of your own that is to prepare your hearts for that place Whom that is Jesus We preach warning every man and teaching every man in all Wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus Col. 1 28. It is strange for you to conceive hereof but yet it is true that God will judge that the Word Preached in this place shall be a warning and Testimony to all the Inhabitants of this Town and Neighbour-hood though not the twentieth nor yet hardly the hundredth part of them do come to hear Remember I told you of it before I Ground this Affirmation from these Words of Paul who spake thus by the Spirit and yet it is certain that every man

water it every Moment lest any hurt it I will keep it Night and Day Isa 27. 2 3. Here it is affirmed and ratified twice in the same Verse that God will keep it lest any hurt it which nothing can do but Satan or his Temptations as they seduce to sin or evil Nothing but sin can hurt the heart of Man And if we would suffer that the Lord should keep our hearts Night and Day and that he Guide us continually so that our selves here are under keepers and stand upon our watch for thus the Scripture doth direct in other places so as to prevent and keep out the comings in and Acts of Sin and then it is effectually prevented lest any hurt it And all thy Children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of thy Children Isa 54. 13. The right consequence here is that when they are taught of God they should learn of him and when he doth instruct and would Guide them they should receive the instruction and follow his Guidance God doth Keep Guide and Teach the hearts of the Children of Men in an Invisible manner but yet it is sensible to the hearts of his faithful People The Wind bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth so is every one that is born of the Spirit John 3. 8. So likewise is every one that is Taught Guided or Instructed by the Spirit And so in like manner God doth keep the hearts of his People As the Distillings of Dew in a clear Night are not perceived so God moves himself as it were upon and Communicates himself to the hearts of his Creatures in the still voice of his Word and Spirit For God speaketh once yea twice yet man perceiveth it not In a dream in a Vision of the Night when deep sleep falleth upon men In slumberings upon the Bed Then he openeth the Ears of Men and sealeth their Instruction Jel 33 14 15. 16. And so when we are in the most still retired abstracted and separated manner When we becom the Man whom thou chos●st and causest to approach unto thee Psal 65. 4. Then it is that God doth reveal and manifest himself unto us When we are Obedient and Holy Sobet and Temperate when we are Chast and do not regard the desire of women being Purified Sanctified these are furtherances forwardings or helps towards God making known his Mind and Will unto us As again There are Hindrances and Obstructions The Principal and I may almost say the only hinderance is Sin for it is that which makes that wide Chasm or Distance between God and the creatures Your Iniquities have seperated between you and your God Isa 59. 2. Sin or Iniquity in the General do produce this aceursed and evil effect But they may be clearly Specified and reduced to these three sorts Namely what doth defeat and render of none or rather of less effect the Seed sown or Choke the Word Preached the same is the Principal hindrance to Gods keeping this still in the Imagination of the Thoughts of the hearts of this People The cares of this World and the deceitfulness of Riches and the lusts of other things entring in Mark 4. 19. And so where it is written Take heed to your selves lest at any time your hearts be over-charged with surfetting and drunkenness and cares of this Life and so that day come upon you unawares Luke 21. 34. We learn and understand from all this put together what the hinderances are And when we know them what they are we may avoid and let them alone or at least not be let or hindered by them They are the Cares of this World and of this Life and the deceitfulness of Riches and the lusts of other things or Gluttony and drunkenness and such like And then the heart being too much set upon Visible Objects and Visible things this doth draw off and alienate from and make to forget and loose the sence of him that is Invisible as also of the Invisible things of his Kingdom As was before said We should Pray unto God to keep this still in the Imagination of the Thoughts of the hearts of thy People even that purpose and Resollution To keep his Commandments his Testimonies and his Statutes so we should likewise Endeavour Strive and Labour after the same And as we Taste and See Feel and Experience know and perceive what are the Clogs Interruptions and Hinderances so we should avoid and not give way unto them The Temper and State of our Soul is Various and several as it stands towards God For thou hast lifted me up and cast me down Psal 102. 10. Now and then it is Good enough and then it is bad dark and cloudy again according as we commit Sin and are plunged into the cares of this Life or are Interested and concerned in the lusts of other things The Servants of God are a discerning and observing People They look within the glass of the Word and also they reflect and look within their own Souls and they compare both together And indeed every one must observe and practice the like methods who would make any Growth Proficiency Increase and Advancement in the Christian Life Here we might well reason and do that if we can be and are Godly at one season why not at another and so if our Minds are now fraught with and Furnished and full of Reverence and fear of the Divine Majesty so it may be likewise at another time and thus we might go through the several Stages and Periods of Life even to serve God in Righteousness and true Holiness all the dayes thereof and to fear continually before him For by the like means which we do perform it at one time we may Endeavour after it at another There is an unseen Enemy who stands at our Elbow I mean Satan and his Temptations who prompts us to commit Sin in each Act or Instance of Tryal even in our very meals to eat to excess or commit Gluttony and so in other things alike and here we should be upon our Watch to Pray and lift up our hearts Avoid or get behind me Satan so that he should not get advantage nor prevail over us The Use and Benefit herehereof will be exceeding Great for besides that this is th only making our Calling and Election sure It is the only way and means to Assertain Salvation unto our Selves so the more Good any one doth and the more he abstains from Sin and from all appearance of evil It will be proportioned accordingly unto that Man or Woman in the Future Recompence and they will receive a more full and greater Reward This is the sum and conclusion of the whole mattet and the drift and design of all Preaching That People may cease to do Evil and learn to do Well as much as ever they can But why is it said in our Text O Lord God