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	heart_n	word_n	5,244	5	4.1630	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A93747	The necessity of keeping still unto the ordinances of religion, prayer, hearing the word, baptism, and the Lord's Supper set forth in a sermon preached in the countrey, on Acts VI.4. : wherein is also laid open, and manifested the errour of those people (commonly call'd Quakers) who do neglect the two latter.	Stafford, Richard, 1663-1703.	1698 (1698)	Wing S5126; ESTC R202451	24,791	32

in your Eating and Drinking for too much Eating makes People sluggish and sleepy Thus People might redeem time for hearing his word on a Week Day and yet they would not diminish ought from their accustomed Work and Labour in their wordly calling Sirs ye know not what it is to lose opportunities in Spiritual and Eternal concerns For these opportunities can never be retrieved again As Nebuchadnezzar said concerning his Dream The thing is gone from me Dan. 2. 5. So these opportunities of hearing his word are gone from them for all Eternity There is no recalling of it back again I have Preached Ten Sermons to the Inhabitants of a certain Town and Neighbourhood But if those People who refused or neglected to hear the same would now give Ten Thousand Pounds and if there were Ten Divine Truths in them they would not be thus over-rated for each Divine Truth is of more worth then a World for to have heard them on those Ten past Lords Days this can no more be then any of them can make the Sun stand still or go back ten degrees in the Dial of Ahaz It passes over into a thing to be Judged off at the Judgment of the Great Day As God commanded Moses to make a return how he had discharged his message and Moses did accordingly return back the Word of the People unto the Lord. So when his Ministers come to give in an Account of their Ministry it will be a sad reckoning to the People They are turned back to the iniquity of their Forefathers which refused to hear my Words Jer. 11. 11. Loe these ten opportunities together such and such People hereabouts have refused to hear thy Words O God and if I should live or stay among them so long I do really believe that some of my Countrymen and Neighbours will for seventy times seven opportunities more refuse to hear thy Words O Lord according as I have received the same from the lively Oracles the Book of the Lord and what he makes known to my heart by his Spirit As Herod made a sudden Oath for the sake of which he cut off John Baprists Head And as the Jews bound themselves with a Curse not to Eat or Drink until they had killed Paul So I believe that some have made such an hasty Vow and Resolution which is the usual forerunner of foolish and sinful doings that they will never go to hear such an one In speaking after that manner they take the wrong end of the Staff by the hand which kind of speaking is one method or devise whereby Satan upholds his Kingdom by fixing on Persons and not on things for 't is not so much the Person of this or that Man we being Creatures of alike Flesh and Blood and of the same Passions For they should speak more properly and understandingly they vow and resolve never to hear the Word of the Lord which comes out of such an ones Mouth for by the way if a Great Truth of God could and did come out of Caiaphas his Mouth as it did in John 11. 51 52. Who had given wicked Counsel so may some Truths of God proceed through him who is harmless and inoffensive in his Conversation and whom neither his adversaries can charge with nor yet himself is conscious of any known and allowed sin But here the children of God should separate the Precious from the Vile I would ask such who think that they must keep to their Vows Suppose that a man should Vow that he would never worship God such an Unlawful Vow or Promise is better broken than kept and so it is near the same not to go to hear the Word for thou shouldest here Repent of making such a Vow or Resolution the Observance whereof being unlawful serves only a design of the Devil to keep thee in the breach and neglect of a Commandment of God to hear his Word as also it hinders thy Soul from good things If any should stay at home to Read the Sctiptures or for Family Prayer or to catechise and instruct their Children this they might do at other times and they might bring their Children here to sit down and hear Words Preached according to their Capacities which perhaps by Reason of their fresh Memories and tender Years they would retain longer than their Parents It may be asked them another day Why abodest thou among thy Family or in thy house when thou mightest have gone out to Hear the word of the Lord Hearken unto me ye that know Righteousness the people in whose heart is my Law fear ye not the Reproach of Men neither be ye afraid of their Revilings Isa 51. 7. Ye may all know and be assured that the works of God are never in vain I have several times thought as to my outward Lameness tho I do halt like unto the Patriarch Jacob nevertheless this hinders not from my running the way of Gods Commandments And so where God hath furnished any man with Knowledge Ability Inward Indowments and Qualifications and hath put good words and true words into his heart all this and such like must be for some end even for him to speak out and make known the same and for others to hear and receive them The Lord will rehearse all this and much more in the day when he writeth up his people How every least and most contemptible Creature did serve the Great Ends of his Glory But much more the Ministers of the Word do so in their several Generations Countries and Places It is indeed matter of Anguish and Vexation to us because we see the Devils working and Delusion herein and we can not help it so throughly and universally as we would It is a day of trouble the Children are come to the birth and there is not strength to bring forth Altho' there are too many Loyterers in the Ministry yet there are not Labourers enough in the Harvest and they also are not knowing or not laborious enough But yet however people carry it towards us yet that place of Ezck. 2. 5 7. will take hold of them And they whether they will hear or whether they will forbear for they are a rebellious House yet shall know that there hath been a Prophet among them And thou shalt speak my words unto them whether they will hear or whether they will forbear for they are most Rebellious And so accordingly as long as I have health and opportunity I will speak the word of God unto the people of my Generation and Nation whether they will hear or whether they will forbear if no more than two or three only did come to this particular place where it is declared But to Israel he saith All the day long have I stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gain-saying people Rom. 10. 21. Now Israel were the outward worshippers but the same holds true also as to the sinners and ungodly But Beloved we are perswaded better things of you and things which