Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	bear_v	son_n	witness_n	5,359	5	7.9501	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86532	The saints guide, in three treatises; I. The mirror of mercie, on Gen. 6.13. II. The carnall mans condition, on Rom. 1.18. III. The plantation of the righteous, on Psa. l.3 / By Thomas Hooker minister in New-England.	Hooker, Thomas, 1586-1647.	1645 (1645)	Wing H2655; Thomason E1160_1; ESTC R11339	43,446	180

Consolation to all those who finde that their hearts be levell to the rule of the word who are willing to let goe all beloved finnes though never so pleasant and profitable and worldly ends whatsoever yea to give up their all yea their life it selfe when God shall call for it this may be a ground of unspeakable comfort unto them for they finde that distinguishing Caracter in their soules which cannot be found in the hearts of any hypocrites in the world Consider therefore with thy selfe how thou canst stoope as well to the Commands as to the Promises of the word canst submit to every blessed truth art willing both to know it and to practise it and to delight thy selfe in it day and night Is there any soule here whose Conscience beares him witnesse that it is thus with him that he is willing not onely to heare but likewise to entertaine every Truth of God even those that are most contrary to flesh and bloud and that he can say in the uprightnesse of his spirit as before the Lord be there any more Truths of the Lord to be discovered Oh! that I might heare them and come to understand them how willingly would I come up unto them and put them in practice that can say with the holy man Job Surely it is meet● to be sayd unto God I have borne chastisement and I will not offend any more that which I see not teach thou mee and if I have done Iniquitie I will doe so no more Such a man as can thus love and thus entertaine the truth he is a Free-man of Heaven one of the blessed Company of Saints and Angells John 8.32 And yee shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free This was the joy of the Apostle 3. Epist John 4. I have no greater joy then to heave that my Children walke in the truth If it was so great a matter of joy to him that he had beene an Instrument to worke this blessed worke upon other mens soules how much greater cause of joy hast thou that it is wrought upon thy soule God himselfe loveth the truth and requireth truth in the inward parts He delighteth also to reward the lovers of it Dost thou love the Truth of Christ then it will give the same testimonie of thee as it did to Demetrius 3. Epist of Joh. 12. Demetrius hath a good report of the truth it self And if the Truth report well of thee Fear not what the world what thy freinds or enemies say of thee for the testimony of the truth will be a comfort unto thee when all false witnesses shall stand aside and thou shalt be able to lift up thine head when those that have derided the truth and thee for the truths sake shall hang downe their heads and have their hearts to faile within them Then this shall be a comfort to a poore soule when his conscience shall beare him witnesse that although he hath had manie weaknesses yet there was never any truth made knowne unto his soule but he was willing to entertaine it never any sinne was discovered to his soule to be a sinne but instantly he loathed it then the Truth shall stand up and say I beare witnesse Lord that he loved mee entertained mee and delighted in mee though he indured bitter persecutions for my sake and so the truth shall make him free the devill shall not have any thing to lay to his charge and God the Father God the Sonne and God the blessed Spirit shall be ready to imbrace such a Soule for God is a God of Truth Christ is the Word of Truth and the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of Truth Therefore labour after the Truth let not your hearts any longer oppose its efficatious working upon your soules but uncessantly intreat the God of Truth to set every truth that you shall heare home upon your hearts FINIS THE PLANTATION OF THE RIGHTEOUS Set forth in a Sermon on Psalme 1.3 BY THOMAS HOOKER late of Chelmesford in Essex Now Minister of the Gospell in NEW-ENGLAND LONDON Printed for John Stafford dwelling in the Alley against Brides Church 1646. THE PLANTATION OF The RIGHTEOVS PSAL. 1.3 But he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that bringeth forth his fruit in due season his leafe also shall not wither and what soever he doth shall prosper IN the begining of this Psalme the Prophet David giveth somewhat a generall and confused veiw of blessednesse which is the desire of all our hearts the end of all our hopes and travails and then he first pointeth out the by-paths in which those that walke shall be sure never to attain unto this blessednesse 2. He setteth out the true and ready way to happinesse and the severall stations therein which are but two delighting and meditating in the word of God 3. In the words of the text he doth more particularly and distinkely discover this happinesse that so he might win upon mens affections and make their soules be enamored therwith 4. He sheweth the woefull estate and condition of those that doe not walke in this way that leadeth to happinesse they are not so but the winde of Gods Wrath shall drive them away like chaffe Lastly he giveth the reasons of it for the Lord knoweth that is doth approve and prosper the way of the righteous but the way of the wicked shall perish Now in the third verse here is first a familiar Similitude of a Tree and this tree is further discovered 1. By the nature of it it is a planted tree not a wild tree 2. By the place where it groweth and that is by the rivers of waters 3. By the property of it it bringeth forth his fruite in due season 4. By some effects 1. A perpetuall flourishing his leafe shall not fade 2. A good issue to every undertaking what soever he doth shall prosper As it is with a Tree digged out of a barren land and transplanted into a fruitfull Soyle and set by a river of water it bringeth forth much fruite and remaineth in a flourishing estate So it is with those who having bin rooted out of the drie wildernesse of sin and are by the great Husbandman God the Father transported into the true Vine Jesus Christ and set by the Rivers of his word and Ordinances they grow fruitfull in grace and goodnesse bringing forth flourishing fruite and that in due season when it may make most for the Glorie of God and the good of his people and their fruit shall neither fade nor perish untill they attaine unto perfection and a full fruition of Happinesse with Christ in Glorie So that this third verse doth in particular discover the difference betwixt a godly and godlesse man They are contrary in their principalls and wayes They are contrary in their fruites and they shall be contrary in their accounts at the last Day Now for the present I shall wave all the other Characters of a godly man and treat

there be none to deliver you Ah the good Spirit of God ah the goodnesse of God his patience his long sufferance Everie one of these comes in and enters an action against the soule these that should refresh my soule relinquish it nay they aggravate my anguish and torment Job 14. 16 17. For now thou numbrest my steps dost thou not watch over my sinne My transgressions are sealed up in a bag and thou sowest up mine-iniquitie Remember such a time what thou didst and how I did forbeare but I will forbeare no longer and at last Justice with a full swindge brings in all the bonds and all recknings all those exhortations that have beene slighted reproofes scorned meanes of grace enjoyed and not bettered by and those antient multiplyed and great transgressions these all will breake the back of mountains and rocks are not able to beare off the billowes of the wrath thus kindled and thus the soule is in prison and under execution and there like to lie and rot and perish Yet againe and at last cast after the wrath of God hath thus arrested the soule and the justice and truth and mercie and patience and the forbearance of God hath laid action upon action upon the soule and the soule is in execution everlasting ruine being ready to seize on it then mercy bayles the sinner even the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ comes in and undertakes that the soule shall appeare or mercie will satisfy for him so the sinner is yet reprived Mercy gets the day when a sinner comes out of the horror of conscience and the devourings of justice Oh the bowells of mercy Oh the mercy of a Father the bloud of a Christ the comfort of the Spirit calls the soule out of prison Oh turne why will ye dye Ezek. 18.13 Remember the knocks and horrors of conscience the beginnings of hell they all come and mourne over a sinner Oh ye Drunkard turne be drunke no more come to mee and be saved so to the proud prophane rebellious and malicious sinners why will ye yet oppose God and so ever be confounded by him why will ye goe to hell O ye sinfull sonnes of men Come to me and I will pardon your sinnes Come to me and I will satisfie and pay all your debts saith Gods Spirit I will subdue crush all your Rebellions Oh this this is the last time Now observe if ye come in receive all the good offered If ye now be a servant to the Lord your God all your former iniquities shall be pardoned old arrerages shall not be laid to your charge By me saith Christ beleeve and ye shall be justifyed from all things Act. 13.39 Now observe this is the last stroke the last period the suit is at an end if you entertaine mercy to pardon ye the bloud of Christ to satisfie for you the motions of the Spirit to quicken you T is well if not now what can be looked for but fire from Heaven to destroy Gods Adversaries Thus you see how God strives and wrastles hard before he brings men to repentance and salvation The upshot of all is this the Lord finding a sinner carelesse and secure by his word gives him notice of his waies when he hath the word he makes him attend attending awakens and informes him The sinner seeing his Estate begines to wrangle with God then God convinces him when convinced least hee should sit downe in dispaire comforts him and being incouraged the sinner againe groweth carelesse and delaies the time God waites he abuseth Gods patience and yet his long sufferance indureth and yet not work effectually then God is put to it with a strong hand layes hold on a sinner and sets his wrath to arrest a sinner and Justice binds him over to judgement yet at last Mercy comes in offers grace pardon of sins and salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ This is the pursuit of the Law-Case The Reasons why God strives with sinners thus are briefely First that he might expresse and glorifie his attribute of Mercy and that the world might know it rejoyce in it Secondly that he might leave the world without excuse that if they goe downe to the bottomlesse pit they must thanke themselves But to come to the Vses We see what God doth how he striveth with a sinner for his everlasting wellfare and we see what the poore soule doth strive with God for his owne eternall ruine that the great Greatour that was happy before all worlds and will be glorified if he should suffer thousand millions of us to perish and go down to hell should strive with a pooresinfull creature t is admirable First we see and let us stand amazed and wonder at the admirable goodnesse the riches of the kindnesse of the Lord together with the depth of the stubbornnesse rebellion and evill of the soule how strong in wickednesse to strive with the God of Heaven nay seemeth as we say with reverence to get the better The Lord teacheth and he will not heare the Lord convinceth and he will not yeeld the Lord is good to him and he despiseth him the Lord is patient and he abuseth it God beares long and he contemnes were it not that God is just as well as patient the sinner would overcome God but God will not have his patience alwayes wronged But yet observe the basenesse and depth of the wretchednesse of mans heart that nothing will do him good foule is the Leaper that all the water in the sea will not wash Great are the spots that nothing wil cleanse or take off what state is that body in that no diet will nourish no phisicke cure Death must needs appeare in his face it is thy estate and mine Let us goe home and reason with our selves in secret Good Lord what a heart have I Is there such an heart in hell The Divell never had that patience to strive with them that mercy to cure them the good Spirit of God to strive with them Oh! the Lord hath called and revealed himselfe to me yea found me when I sought him not nay caused me to see mine abominations made me to see the wickednesse of my waies yet oh the secret grudges of my heart that it bore to Religion How did I taunt the professours thereof and loathed the profession therof it selfe yee are one of those holy ones what shall I be so precise yet the Spirit of God did not leave me but laid hold on me surprized me in my bed and followed me wheresoever I went yet I opposed all did winde away from the power of the truth grieved the good Spirit of God good Lord what a heart have I and good reason hast thou to be ashamed of such a base heart A poore worme sinful dust and ashes a shadow a miserable hell-hound to grapple with the Almightie thus to strive against mercy patience and not to be tumbled into the bottomlesse pit of hell T is admirable unspeakable