Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	body_n	life_n	word_n	7,125	5	4.2824	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A79291	Heart-salve for a wounded soul... Or meditations of comfort for the holy living, and happy dying Christian either in the depths of dark desertion, or in the heighth of heavens glorious union. The second edition, with an addition of an elegie upon an eminent occasion. By Tho. Calvert, minister of the gospel.	Calvert, Thomas, 1606-1679.	1675 (1675)	Wing C323A; ESTC R230932	68,723	208

to advancement When we look upon a man rowing in a Boat we see him look one way and row another way he looks from home but his boat goes homeward Whatsoever the Lords dealings be cast not away thy confidence O distressed heart though he seem to be a going from thee he is coming to thee Thou thinkest the Lord in anger turns away his face from thee yet the Boat of thy Soul for al● this is rowed homeward and Hea● venward These afflictions of thy spirit faintings of heart strong groans after sense of his love are infallible Sea-marks in thy way to the Haven of life and comfort only keep thy self in the Boat leap not out with diffidence though great waves leap in trust the Lord with the rowing commit thy ways unto him Psa 37.5 and he will bring it to pass Use 2 Learn to suspect rather than envy that estate which knows no changes It is the sinners saddest lot to be settled on the Lees and never moved nor changed from Bottle to Bottle Jer. 48.11 Let my Soul never sleep the sinners unbroken sleep of security they have no change Psa 73.5 and are not in trouble like other men But the righteous and whom God loves find manifold diversities of Gods proceedings with them because he means to make something of them His reason for his last request Lest I be like them that go down into the pit Not the Pit or Lake of Hell or Purgatory nor the depth and profundity of sins as some would have it but the pit of Golgotha the place of dead mens skulls the Chambers of mortality the Grave Elsewhere he seems so to reason Psa 30.9 Shall the dead praise thee what profit is there in my blood when I go down to the pit Note here how David joyns Gods love and his life together and counts the hiding away his face to be death and that which carries him to the grave Doct. The faithful heart finds no life but in Gods love Gods favourable face is the Christians health and life his maintenance lies all in Gods countenance The basest low condition'd life is royalty with Gods favour and the royallist life is but a painted dunghill or a golden grave if his face be hid from it and shine not there Yea but David thou may'st be a living man eat drink and sleep though his face be hid from thee Thou hast Musick to chear thee art thou not a Prince th● hast the Sovereignty of a Kin●dom to comfort thee Nobles a● High Estates to attend and a● company thee thou mayst ha● all the delights of the Sons of m●● and earthly contentments to e●hilerate thee why dost thou th● speak of a grave or pit can man die among so many livin● comforts Thus indeed mig● reason reason the case But D●vid spoke advisedly he did n● as sometimes he did speak 〈◊〉 his haste he is often saying th● same Psal 119.77 ver 88. Let thy tender mercies co● unto me that I may live There 's n● life without assurance of his me●cies Quicken me after thy lovin● kindness He counts himself dea● without his loving kindness th● quickens him and puts new li● into him It is a great dignit● and comfort to a man to hav● birds beasts fishes Sea Ai● Earth and all things to be mad● for him and subjected to him Now David looks higher than th● Psal 8. 8th Psalm there must be more than all this to make a man to have a true and worthy life Though the body live by the Soul yet there wants Gods favour and face which is the Soul of the Soul and more to it than it is to the body The spiritual life to have to have the vital powers of grace the inspiration of Gods quickning Spirit an inward sight ●iewing of Gods face in Christ and sweet s●nse of his loving coun●enance as John saith of the true ●ight so this is the true life In anotner place he has the very words His anger endureth but for a moment Psal 30.5 ver 7. Anima hominis Christiani Tulipae instar est quae se ad Spiritus Sancti radios explicat iisdem absentibus contristatur Causin Parab Hist lib. 10. and in his favour is life Again Thou didst turn away ●hy face and I was troubled There is death in ●he hiding of his countenance In the first Psalm the righteous man is compared to a tree and here methinks the righteous man is compared to a flower the Tuli● or Marygold if the Sun open h● bright lightsome face upon them these open their leaves but if 〈◊〉 set and shut up his shining shopi● Heaven these lour and clasp t●gether their leaves on earth Such is Gods favour and fac● of love Davids Soul and ev●ry Christians holy Soul rises a● sets with it Absalom cou● tell us though he had lands a●● maintenance from his father y● he lived bion ' abion Principis sideris absentiam gemere diceres a lifeless lis● so long as he might not come in his fathers presence and beho● his face The face of God reco●ciled has more ravishing swe●●ness in it for every adopted Chil● who has tasted how gracious t●● Lord is and how can they b● droop when that is hid fro● them under se● and feeling of displeasure Psal 90.9 Redde oculos mea vita tuos ni cenere pergam Frigidus exanimi pectore dispeream Jan. Lernut in Poem Ocelli Cain Saul Judas Spira W● thou art angry our days are go● The Idolizi●● Lover will t● you his life lies in his Mrs eyes an amorous and pleasant look quickens him a frown or neglecting countenance casts him into deep vexations of heart This is but the Creature shall there not be thought there is more power of life and death in the Creator appearing graciously favourable or displeased Real proofs of this have been the horrible vexations even to dispair of wretched men when the ireful face of God has been set against them for their sins and presented to their Souls As also those bitter cries and prayers of the Godly in deep afflictions when no glasses could shew unto them the face of Gods favour this made them averse and pull back their hand from all offered comforts Natura speciem ita formavit oris ut in ea penitus reconditos mores effingeret Is qui appellatur vultus qui in nullo amimante esse praeter hominem potest indicat mores Cicero de Legib. lib. 1. Psal 51. because they wanted the sense and sight of this only comfort And this is a common phrase of Gods favour and love the shewing of his face because the heart acts all the parts of its several affections upon the Stage of the face it is the outward Map of the inward passions of the mind If there be fear within it may be seen in the trouble of the countenance and paleness clothing the face without If anger rise then cloudy frowns and angry demonstrations

●his Children utte●●● 〈…〉 opportunity he usually helps when all other helps fail that we may ●he more strongly cleave to him and ground our selves upon him as knowing how infirm we are if he confirm us not When mans Cruse of Oyl is dry and fails can drop no more then is Gods time to prepare his Thus helpt he the Israelites at the Red Sea when all mans strength and wisdom was at a stand He loves to be seen in the Mount in extremities These are the truest glasses to shew Gods truth power wisdom goodness and to shew to man his own Nothingness Valeant humana praesidia quae nos deserunt modo in anima spes firma ma●eat Deum nobis servatorem non de fore qui saepe gentem harc eripuit exitio Philo Iud. in Legat. ad Cajum Emptiness Vanity that he can do nothing with the strongest brawn of his own fleshly arm We should never learn rightly this Lesson of dependance upon God alone if he did not delay deliverance oft-times to the very failing of our Spirits 1. Art thou then in that shi● which is tossed and Christ sleep● and helps thee not doth thy sp●rit fail in struggling with the stro● sense of inward misery want 〈◊〉 Grace or want of the joy 〈◊〉 Grace Learn at that time t● look on thy condition aright Loo● not on thy self in thy self but loo● upon thy self in the Saints se● thy case in the Saints commo● case Thou art not singular God sheep have commonly been thu● markt Thou thinkest God has forgotten thee yes he has forgot thee as he forgot his Children heretofore Thus he forgot David Job Paul they were brought to perplexity though not to despair we are cast down but not destroyed I intreat thee tell me if this ●hy comfortless estate shall bring thee the jocund offspring of the world whom conscience sleeping never troubles ● Cor. 4.8 9. Cain the Builder Juba● the merry Musitian worldly Nabal carnal Ishmael temporizing Demas or any of that fleshly Tribe who never knew one sigh of a penitent heart nor ever came ●ear to the failing of their spi●it in waiting upon God O no ●hou sayest it is fearful to be sor●ed with these whose Candle God will put out who spend their days in jollity Job 11.13 and in a moment ●umble into the grave But now the Lord has dealt well with thee having joyned thee to the number of his own thus hath he scourged though not in the same degree every Son and Daughter he has received thus have they been taught to mourn before him Great joy ought it to be to us that we bear the same Livery and Badge upon earth which they once wore who are now the blest Courtiers of Heaven The Apostle was so far from troubling himself for it that he bids all others cease troubling him and take heed what they do to him for he carries in his body the noble marks of sufferings and wounds for Christ he gloried in it Gal. 6. Let no man henceforth trouble me for I bear in my body the mar● of the Lord Jesus O high dign●tion to be like Christ in any 〈◊〉 state yea though it be in h● sweating suffering and sighi● out his My God my God why ha● thou forsaken me 2 Cor. 4.10 For if we bear ●bout the dying of the Lord Jesus is for our future comfort that the li● of Jesus may be manifest in our mo●tal bodies Remember we the● always that be our spirits neve● so low Gods dearest Childre● have been in the same pit yea an● lower than we and yet God a● length raised them up from thes● hopeless depths Psal 22.15 Psal 119.82 They cried til● their tongues failed with long praying for deliverance thei● eyes failed with waiting thei● hands failed with being lif● up And yet which of these waited upon God in vain None of them tell us amongst all these failings that God failed and did not at length give them their hearts desire Meque istis potius societ quam congreget illis Prosper in Verse de Providentia Quos jam summoto permisit verbere cursu Ire voluntatis Use 2 Let the failing spirit be directed to take Davids course though he cried out of failing yet he failed not of crying to his God The weaker we are it should make us cry the faster So long as the Spirit of prayer fails not in us so long the Spirit of power will not fail to uphold us only cry we as men far cast down Lord if thou wilt forsake me yet Lord forsake me not long Psal 119.8 Defect enim Spiritus meus ut impleat me Spiritus tuus Prosper in Psalm Esai 40.29 30 31. My spirit now fails me that thy Spirit may help fill me for so some gloss upon this Verse For this is is the ground of the application of Gods Promise and for our encouragement Are we weak now is the time come he promised to help us He giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might he encreaseth strength Even the youths shall faint and be wear● and the young men shall utterly fall But they that wait upon the Lor● shall renew their strength c. An● again when we are thinking 〈◊〉 I shall never get out of this troublesome evil the Lord answers Fear not Esa 41.10 for I am with thee be n● dismayed for I am thy God Ye● but I have no more strength t● wait upon God then have w● Gods answer I will strengthe thee I will help thee O but th● Cross is so heavy I shall fail an● perish under it No saith he will uphold thee with the right han● of my righteousness Here is 〈◊〉 large and liberal promise Tho● hast Gods Word Gods hand● Gods help Gods strength tho● mayst utterly fail if his strengt● fail thee If thou criest on him t● look at his Promises and remember his Covenant with his Children he cannot finally neglec● thee unless Christ sleep in his sea● of intercession or his memory perish that he forgets his Children or he forget his own hands where his Childrens names and necessities are ingraven Esa 54.11 For this end in crying and calling upon him the failing spirit may plead with these two strengthening Arguments As first that it stands much for Gods glory that he do help us in respect of ungodly and impious men Thus may it be urged If thou suffer my spirit to fail and me to perish then Lord thou losest not only thy Creature but thy Glory also let none of thy glory be diminisht Psal 79 10. For why should the Heathen say where is now their God If God cast off his Children and give them not deliverance Religion would receive a great blow and ungodly men would speak evil of his ways and worship They whose service is sin when they see Gods devout Children are at a low ebb in a deep extremity then they throw dung in

of the faithful which in the death of their bodies are gathered to the blessed number of the righteous Heb. 12.23 glorified in Heavens gathered to the rest of the spirits of Just men made perfect This taking away or gathering may be considered doubly as a gathering out or a gathering in This is selectio potius quam collectio First A gathering out which is when there is a mixture of things good and bad together when we pick out one sort from the other it is a gathering or selecting collection As when the Net catches all kind of fishes the good are pickt out and the bad cast away Sometimes they are thus gathered when danger is likely to seize on al together then that which is good gathered out that the danger may not fall on it Thus the righteous are mixt in this world with ungodly men and the Lord picks his Children from among the rest he is preparing plagues for the world and before hand he takes care for his by gathering them out of the danger so that phrase imports from the evil to come 2. A gathering in Both these gatherings in the Parable of the Draw-net Mat. 13.47 48. which is after the picking out to lay that which is good in a better place by themselves Thus the Righteous separated from the world by death are gathered like the good fishes into a vessel by themselves into one blessed society and unmixt company into heavenly glory where no wicked men shall enter among them any more And of this gathering is this Colliguntur they are thus taken away None considering Before none laying it to heart for so they are both taken one for another Consider your ways Hag. 1.5 in Haggai in the Original is set your heart on your ways A facie mali From the evil to come From the face or presence of evil From the evil of sin lest if he should live any longer he might be infected with the sins of wicked men But the truest is from the evil of punishment Wis 4.11 wherewith God means to plague the wicked world that they may not smart with the sinners When God has a quarrel with the earths Inhabitants he takes his Children from among them that he may be revenged upon those who have provokt him Thus the meaning of the words appearing the Prophet seems to speak to his people and in them to us after this manner O how great and graceless is our security Sum and Sense of words Which careless and sinful security is plain in the verse foregoing Esa 56.12 with what hasty feet do all men run to their pleasures How blinde are we that cannot see the Land falling under the hand of the Lords severe Judgment Do we not daily see the Lord fetching away by death his dearest and holiest Servants Surely therein he would signifie to us that his intentions are to bring punishments upon us he taking his own out of the way that they may not see nor feel the vengeance which the world has deserved and shall undergo Yet where is there a man that thinks of this or lays it to heart or takes notice what the Lord is about to do when he takes the righteous from among us From the words like clay thus tempered and prepared we may make up these five Vessels 5 Conclusions or Doctrines or extract these evident Conclusions First that Righteous and holy men are also merciful men Secondly Gods most Righteous Servants must die as well as others Thirdly The Souls of the Saints in their deaths are gathered to the Lord and by the Lord into blessedness Fourthly When the Righteous go from among us some Judgment is to be feared is coming towards us Fifthly The secure wicked world is little mov'd with the removal of the Godly None considers it none lays it to heart How easily these rise we need not fly to Reasons to demonstrate it Righteous men are merciful men 1 Doct. Our Saviour hath enjoyned it them and they lay up his sayings in their hearts Luke 6.39 Be ye merciful as your Heavenly Father is merciful These have received mercy of the Lord and are thereby transformed into such a merciful and pitiful nature as his is If we should ask fire why it burns It must be answered It is the nature of fire Why doth the Sun shine It is the nature of the Sun to do so How is it the Godly man is so merciful It is the nature of him I mean the new nature that is ingrafted in Christ to be like affected to the misery of othors as he has found Christ to him These may truly say We cannot but do it the love of God constrains us to it 2 Cor. 5 14. There are no Graces poured by God into a good mans heart as water into a Tub or Pond which keeps all to it self and lets the ground be dry about it but every gracious man is a Spring a Fountain that sends forth streams to water the eatth and feeds the rivulets that flow from it When we once come to Christ the great Spring he makes us little Springs to others Zac. 13.1 Joh. 4.14 The waters that I give saith Christ shall be in him that receives it a Well springing up to everlasting life yea might some say it springs up for himself yes and for others also for out of his belly shall these waters flow to the benefit of others The woman of Samaria had no sooner drunk of this water of Christs receiving her to mercy Joh. 7.38 but it burst and flowed out of her belly in pity she laboured the salvation of her Neighbours crying earnestly on them Come and see a man c. Come and taste of that mercy which I have tasted of in Christ Joh. 4. the Prophet David has the very words of this conclusihn the Righteous is merciful and liberal that is he shews his mercy by his liberality Elsewhere he sings the Marriage song of these two in God Psal 37.21 Mercy and truth are met together and as sweet is Righteousness and Mercy Piety and Pity conjoyn'd in a Christian A sweet pair and lovely couple of young Pigeons not the offering of the poor but this Offering to the poor which the Lord loves better than a fat Bullock laid on his Altar With such sacrifices of mercy for he loves mercy better than sacrifice is God well pleased Hos 6.6 Heb. 13.16 This mercy is an holy affection of the heart sympathizing with them that are in misery and a liberal and holy action of the hand helping and refreshing those in misery Piteous affection that is the root actions of liberal distribution and relief that is the fruit which like the fruit of the Vine Judg. 9.13 chears both God and man Misery which is the object of Mercy is corporal or spiritual 1. Mercy looks at them both to the bodies sickness nakedness poverty beggery there mercy will