Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	bless_a	lord_n	soul_n	6,252	5	5.0695	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A25887	A great wonder in heaven, or, A lively picture of the militant church drawn by a divine pencill : Revel. 12, 1, 2 : discoursed on in a sermon preached before the honourable House of Commons, at Margarets, Westminster, on the last monethly fast-day, January 27, 1646/7 / by John Arrowsmith ...	Arrowsmith, John, 1602-1659.	1647 (1647)	Wing A3776; ESTC R441	30,018	49

head and feet yet but into a way of formality namely that wherewith they are enlightened who have a forme of godlinesse but deny the power of it whereas this we are speaking of doth not only shine but guide not the head only but the feet and that not into the way of formality but of faith which is the only way of peace both with God and with conscience 3. Cheering Eccles. 11. 7. truly light is sweet and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the Sun How sweet are the discoveries made by Christ to beleeving souls what a pleasant thing is it for spirituall eyes to behold the Sun of righteousnesse moving and shining in the spirit of a convert as in its own proper Spheare Such as are darke are accounted melancholy rooms well may they be melancholy souls that want the cheering light of Christ But blessed is the people Psal. 89. 15. that know the joyfull sound they shall walke O Lord in the light of thy countenance We may invert it and say Blessed are the people O Lord that walke in the light of thy countenance they shall know the joyfull sound they shall enjoy a continuall jubilee in their hearts 4 Growing It increaseth more and more from breake of day and is in this respect a fit emblem of that grace which Christ communicates to his members the nature whereof is to be growing till it come to arrive at perfection That in Esay 8. 20. To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this Word it is because there is no light no morning in them intimates a remarkable difference between the knowledge of Saints and Hypocrites the former is like the morning light that shines more and more to the perfect day Prov. 4. 18. But evill men and seducers as Paul foretold waxe worse and worse whereby it appears that theirs was but an evening light which shines lesse and lesse till it end in the blacknesse of darknesse for ever Iude 13. In the second place the sun imparts Heat a melting inflaming quickning heat 1 Melting When the surface of the water is glaz'd with ice the Sun-beams dissolve it The grace of Christ hath a like operation upon frozen hearts which are never truly melted into contrition but by Evangelicall beams The Law like a hammer may breake ice in peeces but what remaynes is ice still the Gospell dissolves it into water 't is no longer ice then They shall look upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourn Zech. 12. 10. No such kindly mourners as they that have hearts melted with Christs heat and heated with sense of Christs love Shee in Luke 7th the end who had much forgiven her loved much and wept much 2 Inflaming The Sun-beams falling upon a burning-glasse create a fire So doth the Spirit of Christ who is therefore called a spirit of burning Isa. 4. 4. when hee falls upon the spirit of man Did not our hearts burn within us while hee talked with us by the way and while hee opened to us the Scriptures Luke last 32. The burnt child wee use to say dreads the fire but there is a fire which whosoever hath truly felt will long to be so burnt again Bernard having been well warmed with the consideration of that passage Psal. 32. 1. Blessed is hee whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered professeth hee was seized upon with unspeakable joy and assurance of his own share in that blessednes after the feeling whereof he cryes out O●s● durasset I would to God it had been continued Lord do thou visit me so again and again with thy salvation 3 Quickning Some creatures have no other father but the sun nor other mother but the slime This perhaps is one reason why the sun is compared to a bridegroom Psal. 19. because his beams are prolificall The grace of Christ is so much more the last Adam was made a quickning spirit 1 Cor. 15. 45. hee that hath the son hath life 1 John 5. 12. yea a double life for no lesse will serve his turn the one of righteousnesse all being naturally dead in law by reason of guilt the other of holinesse all being dead in sins and trespasses till quickned by him the end of whose comming was that we might have life that we might have it more abundantly Joh. 10. 10. A third thing which the Sun communicates is its influence the strength and universality whereof are considerable here we have an intimation of both Psal. 19 4 5 6. In the heavens hath God set a tabernacle for the Sun which is as a bridegroom comming out of his chamber and rejoyces as a strong man to run his race His going forth is from the end of the heaven and his circuit unto the ends of it and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof 1. It is a strong influence as may be evidenced by the Suns concocting of such solid bodies as gold and precious stones are in places that are so remote from his owne spheare Were not the influence of Christ exceeding forcible how could it possibly rectifie crooked purifie filthy soften hard and rayse dead souls as it useth to do all on the sodain 'T is true indeed that the operations of his grace are incomparably sweet but it is no lesse true that they are withall incomparably strong To make use of the Psalmists Metaphores Our Lord Jesus in respect of the former may be said to come as a bridegroom out of his chamber clothing himself with all sweetnesse of cariage on his wedding day of the latter to rejoyce as a strong man to run a race bearing down whatever opposeth him in the way 2 'T is universall No visible creature but shares more or lesse in the benefits of this influence So Christ being the light that lightneth every one that t●nes into the world John 1. there is no man but partakes of his goodnesse in one kind or other though with much variety in the successe For as the sun hath different operations upon different objects e. g. wax and clay softning the one hardning the other a chicken and a toad increasing the wholsomnesse of the one the poison of the other so upon severall men within the pale of a visible Church Christ preached to all hath severall works Some are made softer some harder the spirits of fome are sweetned by the Ministery of the Gospell of others imbittered One with the Amalekites servant refreshed by David becomes instrumentall against the enemies of his refresher Another with the snake in the fable warmed by the husbandmans care and compassion becomes an enemy to the authour of that warmth turns apostate and falls to stinging Christ in his members so much the more by how much he was the more enlightned with common grace You have had enough and I hope not too much of this metaphoricall sun in the text see now in what regard the woman is sayd

according to Christ Jesus neither will our heavenly Father ever be glorified by all his own children with one minde and one mouth according to their duty In an Army where the severall Regiments are distinguished by severall colours yet all under command of one Generall and engaged in one common cause if the souldiers by reason of some diversity in their colours should mistake one another for foes and accordingly charge every one upon those of the Regiment next adjoyning how inevitable would the ruine of such an host of men be The Church of Christ is an Army with Banners there alwayes hath been and will alwayes be some variety of opinion even among the good Souldiers of Jesus Christ But so long as they are all obedient to the known commands of the Captain Generall of their salvation as the Scripture styles Christ this variety should not ingage them in the destruction of one another lest thereby the Armies of the living God come to be destroyed and preyed upon by the common enemy 3 Encourage the woman in her travell as Rachels midwife once did Gen 35. 16 17. Rachel travelled and she had hard labour and it came to passe when shee was in hard labour that the midwife sayd unto her fear not thou shalt have this son also Shee had born Joseph before now the midwife puts her in hope of Benjamin We have already through the unspeakable blessing of God upon your Counsels and Forces obteined deliverance from a mighty adverse power that would have ruined us Reformation is that which we are now groaning for what satisfaction would it give to heare you saying to England Fear not thou shalt have this son also The Church as I intimated before is sayd to travell in the labour of those her agents that are called to employments of the greatest moment and difficulty such are Magistrates Ministers Souldiers and to the first of these sorts it belongs to encourage the other two Hezekiah was a great reformer and it may be observed that there is mention twice made of his speaking comfortably to certain persons 2 Chron. 30. 22. Hezekiah spake comfortably to all the Levites that taught the good knowledge of the Lord And again Chap. 32. 6. He set Captains of War over the people and gathered them together and spake comfortably to them If our faithfull and valiant Souldiers have not received due encouragement let them have it I beseech you to the full and let mee have leave to speake a few words in behalfe of our godly Ministers whose assistance how useless soever it may be accounted in other affairs cannot be spared in Ecclesiasticall Reformations Israel was not brought out of Egypt but by the concurrence of Moses Aaron nor the second Temple built but by joynt endevours of Zerubbabel and Joshuah It hath bin formerly sayd by one out of this Pulpit that you have nothing at all to doe in reforming the Church by another that none but you have to doe in the government of it I fear not to call both these extreams and beg your attention to those that take the middle way whose unanimous voyce to the Parliament of England concerning extirpation of Heresies and removall of abuses out of the Church is that of She●●aniah to Ezra Arise for THIS MATTER BELONGS TO THEE we also will be with thee be of good courage and doe it We live in an age wherein are many that doe evill with both hands earnestly as the Prophet speaks Micah 7. 3. There is therefore need that both our hands should be employed in doing good Now the two hands of a Christian Kingdom are the Magistracy and Ministry thereof The businesse of Reformation cals for both As we commonly use our hands for the washing and cleansing of each other So if the Minister be extravagant the Magistrate may correct him then the right hand washeth the left If the Magistrate doe amisse the Minister may admonish him then the left hand clenseth the right But he that makes use of one hand to cut off the other with destroys his body such would our condition be if either Ministers should suffer the Magistracy to be cryed down or Magistrates permit the Ministry to be debased Scripture and experience bid us hope that Amalek shall then be foyled and Israel prevail when faith in Christ and zeal for truth shall support both these hands as Aaron and Hur did those of Moses upon the mount Lastly for a conclusion of all let the prayer of faith be of greatest activity when the woman is found to be in greatest extremity Time was when things were at such a passe even with Jerusalem in a day of trouble rebuke and blasphemy that the children were come to the birth but 〈◊〉 was no strength to bring forth Isa. 37. 3. The case may pe●haps be ours at present though I will not say it is 〈…〉 am the wisest course we can possibly take is to follow 〈◊〉 ●zekiahs good example who upon that sad occasion 〈◊〉 not only pray himselfe vers 15. but send to Isaiah req●●ring him to lift up a Prayer for the remnant that was 〈◊〉 vers. 4. Verily Honourable and beloved there is as 〈◊〉 need of fasting and prayer at this day as ever there 〈◊〉 since our troubles began But the assembling of our 〈◊〉 from moneth to moneth will be in vain unlesse that whi●● is tendred to God be the fasting of sincerity and prayer 〈◊〉 faith If while we fast our lusts be surfeited and 〈…〉 outcry our devotion we must expect to have it much lon●er yet ere the childe be borne Wherefore to add streng●● to our faith and alacrity to our prayers let us feed 〈◊〉 those interrogations which have the force of a promise 〈◊〉 them Isa. 66 9. Shall I bring to the birth and not cause 〈◊〉 bring forth sayth the Lord I that cause to bring forth shall I shut the wombe sayth thy God For my part when 〈◊〉 consider that Temple-worke hath been alwayes accomplished not by might or by power but by the spirit of the Lor● and call to minde how many mountains are already 〈…〉 before his Zerubbabels I am filled with hopes 〈◊〉 you the Worthies of our Israel whose souls have 〈◊〉 all this while to bring forth a Reformation shall 〈◊〉 day see the travell of your souls be fully satisfied 〈◊〉 as Jesus Christ would not save his people by halves 〈◊〉 leave the worke of purchasing redemption for them 〈◊〉 had brought it to a Consummatum est so he will not 〈◊〉 his Church by halves but carry on the blessed work 〈◊〉 Reformation till not we only but all they through●●● the world whose expectations are fastned upon it sha●● cause to rejoyce and say It is finished FINI● Exod. 3. 3 5. Isa. 54. 11. Psal. 80. 13. Math. 10. 16. Certum est mihi hic agi de Ecclesia primogenita c. Alcasar in loc. Forbes Paraeus Mede Typus est mulier haec parturiens Ecclesiae