Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	believe_v	faith_n	know_v	6,721	5	4.2859	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08282	A pathvvay to patience in all manner of crosses, tryals, troubles, and afflictions: inwardly for sinne, or outwardly by sicknesse, pouerty, enemies, imprisonment, banishment, slaunders, disobedience of children, houshold-crosses betweene man and wife, &c. With necessary prayers for euerie of them; as also for diuers other necessarie purposes. By I.N.	Norden, John, 1548-1625?	1626 (1626)	STC 18615; ESTC S119966	125,732	476

if thou were one whom Sathan had in his owne power hee would permit thee to rest quietly he would not disturbe thee but finding thee to be inwardly enclined to seeke the Lord praying for pardon in his Sonnes merites which hee cannot endure without roaring and raging against thee suspecting that he hath lost thee now altogether though thou were somtimes something seruiceable or rather according to naturall corruption slau●shly enclined to his workes of darknesse before the Lord in fauour visited thee with his fatherly corrections to reclayme thee from Sathan and sinne to make thee his obedient Sonne and the more thou declinest from him and his tentations and the more thou louest and enclinest to serue God with a pure heart the more will hee euer seeke to molest thee and if it were possible to driue thee to dispaire But feare not whatsoeuer he shall obiect against thee or lay vnto thy charge though when he seeth thee weakest hee will trie his strength against thee most Beleeue that when thou art weakest God is strongest for thee and Sathan though hee dare to tempt the dearest children of God as he did Christ himselfe yet he trembleth when he seeth Christ with his holy Spirit assisting thee and by his merites layd hold on by a liuely faith comforting thee feare him not therefore but encline thine heart vnto God and know that this thy sicknesse hath not fallen vpon thee by chance or by Sathans malice It came euen by Gods meere prouidence in loue to correct thee here in the flesh to call thee home vnto him that thou perish not with them whom Sathan hath subdued that haue not walked in the feare of the Lord whome Gods louing corrections could not reforme A greater mercy of God can not be obserued then to draw a sinner out of the power and slauery of sinne and Sathan by a gentle hand to make him hi● owne Coheire with Iesus Christ his Sonne and it is the end of this his correcting thee Repent thee therefore of thy former sinnes and beleeue sted fastly that in and through the bloud and merits of Christ thou shalt assuredly be saued and so shalt thou finde that this enemie of thine will giue ouer further to pursue thee As touching the forgiuenesse of thy sinnes how haynous so euer they be in quality or how many so euer in number they shall not be imputed vnto thee Thou hast beene already taught that all afflictions of whatsoeuer kinde doe proceed and are inflicted vpon vs for sinne and especially for the neglect of hearing the word of God and practising what it teacheth And yet not alwayes simply for sinne but sometimes that the glory of God may the more appeare especially in healing the sicke Lazarus dyed and yet Christ said that his sicknesse was not vnto death not so vnto death but that hee knew hee could and would raise him againe though hee were foure dayes dead and buried And therefore was his sicknesse and death onely that the glory of God might be seene by raising of him and the faith of his Disciples be the more confirmed but we must impute our sicknesses and all other crosses as layde vpon vs for our sinnes and learne by the example of good Hezekias to turne our selues vnto God and to mourn not so much for our sicknesse as for our sinnes Thou therefore that art thus afflicted in body and no doubt in minde also repayre vnto God in liuely faithfull and earnest prayer aboue all things for the pardon of thy sinnes for prayer if it be feruent is the most euident argument that thou art the childe of God and preuaileth much for where true saith is there necessarily followeth true repentance faith and repentance for sinne and offending God are inseperable And if thy repentance be serious it will either produce outward teares or inward griefe for your sinnes though teares be not alwayes ready not verball prayers powerfull especially in a sick man whose powres are commonly so shaken with the force of the disease as griefe of the heart can hardly wrest teares from the eyes or words from the lips yet with God it shall be accepted both sufficient prayers and preuailing teares if thou finde such griefe in thy heart for thy sinnes and such a desire to be reconciled vnto God in Christ as may but moue inward and silent sighes vnto God who respecteth more the holy disposition of the heart then any outward action or gesture of the body it shall bee sufficient though some outward showe of faith and repentance be necessary for the satisfaction of such as visite a sicke person if he can but showe it by the tongue in speaking though weakely confessing his sinnes lifting vp his hands or eyes it may argue the inward heart wel prepared and that hee wanteth not the spirit of God And therefore if your sicknesse be so violent as that you cannot showe verball tokens of the working of Gods spirit in you whereby they that come to visite you cannot witnesse for you your sorrow by your outward cōfession It is enough that God knoweth it by your inward true sorrow of heart It was enough that God saw that good King Hezekiah in his sicknesse inwardly bewayling his sinnes though hee could not with plaine termes vocally and with fluent words as hee was wont but inwardly to mourne like a Doue and to chatter like a Crane very weakely and obscurely yet God vnderstoode him and accepted his weake vtterance as a most earnest and effectuall prayer So that if it come to passe that thy weakenesse become such as thou canst not vocally and verbally pray as by thy sicknesse it may come to passe though thou be in present perfect memory thy heart though neuer so faint may yet haue a feeling of Gods mercies and may shew it selfe powerfull to God though it seeme weake vnto men for God is absolute in vnderstanding can and doth conceiue the meaning of thy heart farre better then in thy best strength thou canst thy selfe vnderstand it As for thy present sick estate thou must not be carelesse of it but after prayer for pardō of thy sinnes thou mayest craue restitution of thy bodily health if God who can restore it thinke it fitter for thee then death and thou art not only not forbidden but commaunded to seeke the lawfull helpe of the Physician prouided that thou depend not so vpon the Art of the Phisician as to exempt and neglect thy prayer to God for a blessing vpon it for if God giue not a Diuine working vnto the physick howsoeuer it may seeme to worke it may helpe one part and hurt another A cluster of Figges healed Hezekiah and the washing in Iordan the Leaper yet neither the Figges nor the water of their owne nature cured their diseases it was God gaue the vertue to both and therefore whether thine infirmitie be inward or outward with the meanes vse prayer that God may giue

haue any iust cause against me wherein I cannot iustifie mine innocencie being by nature fraile and may erre yet giue mee not ouer vnto their wills but according to mine vnfained hearts desire to be reconciled vnto them work their hearts to embrace peace with me and loue towards me as thou knowest I vnfainedly desire to show towards them If their hearts be so hardened as no submission nor my sincere affection towards them can obtaine reconciliation with them but that they will still continue to insult and as it were to triumph ouer me I shall euer as I doe appeale vnto thee for iustice to deale with them as thou wilt whose iudgement betweene them and me I acknowledge most iust And therefore Lord though they by their greatnes wealth wit in some thinges preuaile against mee and insolently make their boasts that they haue surprised me and gotten their wills of me so farre as they may say in their hearts that thou hast forsaken mee giue me euer a strong and constant faith in thee that I faint not nor be afraide for when they thinke most to triumph ouer me thou art able to frustrate their hope and to enforce them to sue to me for peace whereunto my heart is truly enclined But Lord thou seest that the more I seeke for peace the more they seeke to vexe mee and to oppresse mee with actions at law diuersly troubling me and that vniustly that heartily desire to liue in peace Their hearts are in thine hands O Lord and if thou thinke it fit to keepe mee yet vnder their tyrannie more to humble me I am in thy hands doe with me what thou wilt for I know that what thou doest or permittest to be done vnto me is in loue and I know thou seest my troubles and when thou in thy wisdome shalt thinke mine afflictions sufficient thou wilt be pleased to restore me to comfort and peace In the meane time while mine enemies are in my sight and I in theirs guide me in my wayes protect and keepe mee vnder the safe shadow of thy wings then shall I not feare what man can doe vnto me Lord euermore encrease my faith Counsell and comfort for him that is persecuted for his constant profession of the Gospell of Christ. KNow this thou that art afflicted and persecuted for the profession of the Gospell of Christ and for thy faith in him that hee doth not suffer thee to be punished as if hee were angry with thee as hee sometimes sheweth himselfe in some other afflictions which hee inflicteth vpon men for their sinnes whereof no man is free but herein hee sheweth thee an extraordinarie fauour First in illuminating thee by his holy spirit whereby thou knowest him and his truth which thou canst not comprehend by thy naturall wisedome were it neuer so profound and deepe in carnall vnderstanding And secondly in making ●hee a constant witnes of that truth which it hath pleased him to reueale vnto thee and in that he giueth thee strength and godly courage to stand constantly and resolutely in the open and publick acknowledgement of thy faith in him and patiently to suffer persecution for his sake which grace and mercie is giuen thee of God first to know then to beleeue and consequently to suffer for his name which patient sufferings are the fruites of his loue towardes thee Christ himselfe approueth thee blessed if thou suffer for righteousnesse sake If thou be but rayled vpon for the name of Christ thou art blessed If thou hadst no further testimonies of his loue then these short assurances and comforts it were sufficient But he further addeth If thou thus suffer the Kingdom of heauen is thine by promise and if thou be truly faithfull thou canst not but feele the truth of this promise and therefore doubt not but hold fast by the promises of Christ be constant be not dismayed at whatsoeuer threats of thine aduersaries not thine but the enemies of Christ Iesus himselfe as Paul sometimes was when hee persecuted those that professed the name of Christ. They were but men he persecuted Christian men and in them hee persecuted Christ. Saul Saul why persecutest thou me If then thou be persecuted for Christ remember that Christ is persecuted in thee What an honour then is this vnto thee to be persecuted for thy Maister who is Lord of heauen and earth Doest thou thinke that if thou suffer for him he will not freely reward thee for thy fidelitie Will an ordinarie Maister of a silly seruant suffer him to be beaten wounded and abused for him and in his cause and will he not reward him If his Master assigne him a seruice wherein hee trusteth his fidelitie and constancie and hee like a coward denie his Maister reuolt and take part with his Masters enemies will hee not thinke him a perfidious seruant and punish him How much more will Christ reward thee if thou stand stoutly and in a Christian constancie in the defence of his cause though hee can without thee defend and maintaine his owne but that hee will make thee a witnesse of the truth which all that shall be saued doe stedfastly beleeue But if for feare of or for the enduring of a little temporall punishment thou shouldest reuolt forsake him and denie him before his enemies hauing such a royall and rich reward set before thee as the Kingdome of heauen and eternall glorie if thou perseuere vnto the end and contrarilie perpetuall shame and ignominie if thou denie him He that for feare of trouble persecution or death it selfe for Christ will denie Christ he is not worthie of his merites by which and by no other meanes thou and all beleeuers are to be saued Denie him not therefore before men that must acknowledge thee before his Father in heauen If thou faint and forsake him here it is a denying of him and he will denie thee to be one of them hee hath redeemed when he shall giue vp vnto God his Father those that he hath chosen out of the great masse of mankinde by his all-sufficient sufferings to bring them to glorie which is the free reward assured to be giuen to as many as constantly professe his name and for his sake patiently endure here persecution and troubles The sufferings that thou here endurest are short and momentanie they endure but a small time they are quickly past ouer were it that thou shouldest be burned or to vndergoe anie other torment for thy faith in Christ If imprisoned suffering hunger colde nakednesse and stripes what were thy suffering to the eternitie of blessednesse If thou be depriued of thy goods and of the dearest things thou enioyest in this world consider what things they are are they not such things as come and goe inconstantly If thou haue lands and possessions thou art but Steward of them If thou haue wealth thou art but the disposer of it and if an ordinarie death befall thee as