Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	appoint_v	comfort_v	zion_n	63	3	8.3517	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66075	Counsels and comforts for troubled consciences contained in a letter, lately written to a friend / by Henry Wilkinson ...	Wilkinson, Henry, 1616-1690.	1679 (1679)	Wing W2234; ESTC R34095	48,680	121

likewise the Apostle acquaints us that we are appointed unto afflictions For saith he that no man should be moved by 1 Thes 3. 3 these afflictions for your selves know that we are appointed thereunto Sect. 6. Object But you will say that your wounds are more inward and your troubles are wounds of Conscience and you urge that of Solomon The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity but a Pro. 18. 14 wounded spirit who can bear Ans For Answer There is nothing which hath befallen you but what hath befallen others of Gods Children For Job complains The Job 6. 4. Arrows of the Almighty are within me the poyson whereof drinketh up my spirit The terrors of God do set themselves in array against me But David complains of broken bones but they were caused by breaches first made upon his Conscience in the matters of Vriah Though David was a great King and full of riches and honour and though he was an excellent Musician and of a sanguine complexion and those naturally are most cheerful yet he had inward as well as outward trouble For so he complains I am feeble Psal 38. 8. and sore broken I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart But what must be done in this case You must make hast to God the only Physician who can cure you and apply the Blood of Christ which is the only Medicine As you ought to be sensible of your wounds so you must seek speedily for cure Imitate those who were stung with the fiery Serpents and presently look'd up to the Brazen-serpent and were cured The Command was from the Lord unto Moses Make thee a fiery serpent and Num. 21. 7 set it upon a pole and it shall come to pass that every one that is bitten when he looketh upon it shall live And what was commanded Moses obeyed accordingly good success followed And Moses made a Serpent Vers 8. of brass and put it upon a pole and it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man when he beheld the serpent of brass he lived The bitings of the Serpent represent the dreadful stings of sin and the looking up unto the Brazen-Serpent represents the looking up unto Christ with the eye of faith Christ the best Expositor thus expounds that Scripture And as Moses lifted up Joh. 3. 14 15. the serpent in the wilderness even so must the soon of man be lifted up That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life When sorrows have almost drunk up your spirits as you complain of your disease whereof you ought to be sensible so you must seek after a Remedy There is a vast difference between poor doubting Christians and confident presumptuous sinners these are over-hasty to apply Comforts which appertain not to them and are not in the mean time affected with sense of their sins nor afflicted for them with godly sorrow Whereas the other dare not apply promises though they have a right unto them but stay too much in beholding their wounds and mourning for them both these extremes must be removed As on one hand we may not be confident on our condition and be too hasty to apply comfort before we have been cast down with godly sorrow so on the other hand we must not deny our selves those comforts which God appoints ●or godly mourners For what was prophesied of Christs preaching he actually accomplished The spirit Isa 61. 1 2 3. Luk. 4. 18. of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek he hath sent Hinc colligimus Isaiam proprie de Evangelio loqu● Lex enim data est ut superbos turgentes inani fiducia animos prosternat Evange lium vero afflictis destinatur i. e. iis qui se omni bono vacous esse s●iunt ut colligant animos ac sustentent Calv. me to bind up the broken-hearted to proclaim liberty to the capt●ves and the opening of the prison to them that are bound to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all that mourn to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion to give unto them beauty for ashes the Oyl of joy for mourning the garment of praises for the spirit of heaviness that they might be called trees of righteousness Make haste unto Jesus Christ and apply this great promise for the comfort of your soul Sect. 7. Object But you will say farther I fear that I am not concerned in this promise because it belongs to such as are broken-hearted only and godly mourners Ans For answer I ask you Do not you hate and abhor sin Is not sin your greatest sorrow And is not Christ your greatest joy If so then you may apply that excellent promise to your particular condition and notwithstanding the sense of your own weakness and unworthiness be not discouraged from coming to Christ There 's help laid upon one that Ps 89. 19. is mighty And this is Jesus Christ Go therefore laying aside all delays excuses and demurs unto Christ quickly for he is an absolute and All-sufficient Saviour Wherefore he is able Heb. 7. 25. also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them Sect. 8. Object But farther you will say that my afflictions are judgments and tokens of Gods wrath Ans But why do you so pre-judg and mis-judg your own condition as making it worse than it is as being more ready which is your failing to catch at any thing which may make against you than at any thing which may make for you I shall distinguish of two sorts of judgments the one is of chastisement and the other is of punishment As for this of punishment this is only appropriated unto ungodly men who many times even in this world receive part of payment and an earnest of those judgments which shall be their full portion and full payment in everlasting burnings in that Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone these are firebrands of Hell But then there is a judgment of chastisement and fatherly correction and this befalls Gods own dear Children in this present world For saith the Apostle judgment begins at the house 1 Pet. 4. 7. of God And chastisements are love-tokens unto Gods Children For whom the Lord loveth he chastneth and scourgeth Heb. 2. 6. every son whom he receiveth Such then are in a happy condition who make a right improvement of afflictions For saith the Psalmist blessed is the man whom thou chastneth O Lord Ps 94. 12. and teachest him out of thy law And then a Christian is well improved by any affliction when it is sanctified to him and he made more holy by the affliction for God chastiseth us for our profit that we might be partakers Heb. 12. 10 of his holiness And though