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	lord_n	soul_n	15,609	5	5.1843	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26806	Sermons upon Psalm CXXX, ver. 4 but there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayst be feared / by William Bates.	Bates, William, 1625-1699.	1696 (1696)	Wing B1124; ESTC R25865	50,575	129

Whom God justifies he glorifies If a Sinner dies immediately after his Pardon is past nothing can intercept his being received into Heaven Now this is utterly impossible the exclusion of such is peremptory and universal for without Holiness no Man shall see God The Admission of an impenitent Sinner into Heaven would pollute that holy Place and unconsecrate the Temple of God wherein his Holiness shines in its Glory It is objected by some that the requiring Repentance to qualify the Sinner for Pardon eclipses the Grace of the Gospel I willingly acknowledg that a religious Jealousy lest the Freeness and Honour of Divine Grace in our Pardon should be lessen'd is very becoming a Christian but 't is ill-grounded and ill-guided in this Matter This will be evident by considering 1 st Repentance is an Evangelical Grace the Gift of the Redeemer Him has God raised to be a Prince and a Saviour to give Repentance and Forgiveness of Sin The Law did not allow of Repentance nor promise Pardon The Design of it was to keep us in the Favour and Communion with God but afforded no Means of Reconciliation after our offending him Repentance was no Degree of Perfection before Man's Fall but is a Relief of his Imperfection after it The Law call'd the Righteous to Obedience the Gospel calls Sinners to Repentance 2 dly There is no Causality or Merit in Repentance to procure our Pardon The Mercy of God for the most precious Merits and Mediation of Jesus Christ is the only Cause of Pardon A Flood of repenting Tears an Effusion of our Blood are of too low a Price to make any Satisfaction to God to deserve a Return of his Favour The most sincere Love of Holiness and stedfast Resolution to forsake Sin which is the principal part of Repentance can be no Satisfaction for our past Offences for 't is the natural Duty of Man before the commission of Sin Repentance is only a vital Qualification in the Subject that receives the Pardon 3 dly The Grace of God is very conspicuous in dispensing Pardon according to the Order of the Gospel to repenting Sinners For first Repentance renders the Divine Mercy most honourable in the Esteem of those who partake of it Our Saviour tells us The whole need not a Physician but those who are sick He that feels his Disease and is strongly apprehensive of its Danger values the Counsel and Assistance of a Physician above all Treasures The repenting Sinner who is under the strong Conviction of his Guilt and his being always obnoxious to the Judgment of God and eternal Misery the Consequent of it he values the Favour of God as the most sovereign Good and accounts his Displeasure as the supreme Evil. Repentance inspires flaming Affections in our Prayers and Praises for Pardon The repenting Sinner prays for Pardon with as much Fervency as Daniel pray'd in the Den to be preserved from the devouring Lions or as Jonah pray'd out of the Belly of Hell for Deliverance He addresses not with faint but fainting Desires for Mercy Give me Pardon or I die The insensible Sinner that is secure in the Shadow of Death may offer some verbal Requests for Pardon but his Prayer is defective in the Principle for he never feels the Want of a Pardon he prays so coldly as if unconcern'd whether he be accepted or no. And with what a Rapture of Admiration and Joy and thankful Affections doth the pardon'd Penitent magnify the Divine Mercy The Christian Niobe that was melted into repenting Tears loved much because much was forgiven her 2. This Establishment that Repentance qualifies a Sinner for Pardon is most beneficial to Man and consequently most illustrates pardoning Mercy We must observe that Sin does not only affect us with Guilt but leaves an inherent Corruption that defiles and debases the Sinner and strongly inclines him to relapse into Rebellion Now Repentance gives the true Representation of Sin in its penal Consequences the Anger of the Almighty the Terrors of Conscience and makes it evident and odious to the Soul David had a piercing Conviction what a foul Sin Adultery was when his Bones were broken Repenting Sorrow strikes at the Root of Sin the Love of Pleasure This makes us fearful to offend God and to fly all the alluring Temptations that will betray us to Sin This makes us obedient The melted Metal is receptive of any Form Contrition is join'd with Resignation Lord what wilt thou have me to do was the Voice of repenting Saul It may be objected that we read God justifies the Vngodly but the Answer is clear The Apostle does not intend by the Ungodly an impenitent Sinner but makes the Opposition between the Ungodly and one that perfectly obeys the Law and is consequently justified by Works and in this Sense the most excellent Saints here are ungodly Besides the Apostle does not assert that God absolutely pardons the Ungodly but qualifies the Persons To him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifies the Vngodly his Faith is counted for Righteousness Now justifying Faith and Repentance are like Tamar's Twins Repentance is first felt and then Faith exerts it self in applying the Merits of Christ's Death for our Pardon It is replied by some that all Grace is communicated from Christ as our Head and supposes our Union with him of which Faith is the vital Band and consequently the first Grace by which all other Graces are derived to us To this I answer there are two Means of our Union with Christ The principal is the quickning Spirit descending from Christ as the Fountain of the supernatural Life and a lively Faith wrought in us by his pure and powerful Operation that ascends from us and closes with him 'T is said the second Adam was made a quickning Spirit and he that is join'd to the Lord is one Spirit As the Parts of the natural Body are united by the vital Influence of the same Soul that is present in the whole so we are united to Christ by the Holy Spirit that was given to him without measure and from his Fulness is derived to us 'T is clear therefore beyond all Contradiction that Faith is not antecedently requisite as the means of conveying all Graces to us from Christ. 2. There are two Acts of Faith the first respects the General Offer of Pardon in the Gospel to all repenting believing Sinners The second is the Application of the Promise of Pardon to the Soul The first is antecedent to evangelical Repentance The second is clearly consequent in the Order of Nature for the Promise assures Pardon only to the weary and heavy laden that come to Christ for Rest. In short there is a perfect Agreement and Sympathy between Reason and Divine Revelation in this Doctrine that God pardons only the repenting Sinner The contrary Assertion is an Impeachment of the Rectitude of his Nature and directly contrary to the Design and Tenour of the Gospel If a Man be justified as

instructive Inference in the Text There is Forgiveness with thee that thou mayst be feared that is with a Fear of Reverence for his amiable Excellencies for the Attractives of his pardoning Mercy and of Caution lest by abusing we should make a deadly Forfeiture of it If God should appear as an irreconcileable Judg arm'd with Terrour against all Offenders the Apprehension would produce Hatred and a dreadful Flight from him it would make Men boldly wilful and harden them in their Rebellions for if they cannot be pardoned for their past Sins and can be but damned for their Continuance in them they will give Licence to their roving and impetuous Appetites and commit Iniquity with Greediness Now God has appointed a Way for the Pardon of Sin wherein there is a bright and equal Discovery of his Greatness and Goodness his Purity and Righteousness that his Law may be more sacred and inviolable more remembred and obeyed by us He has declared in the Death of his Son wherein the equal Extreams of Ignominy and Torment were combin'd what an Evil Sin is that requir'd such a mighty Expiation We may from the Depth of his Sufferings conceive the Excess and Height of our Provocations We may understand the deadly Guilt of Sin that can only be wash'd away in the Blood of Christ the Fountain of Remission To turn the Grace of God into Wantonness to be more loose and secure in committing Sin is to turn the Antidote into Poison and defeat his blessed End 'T is a main Article of our Reconciliation The Lord will speak Peace to his People but let them not return to Folly We may conceive that God speaks to the pardon'd Sinner what our Saviour said to the Man whom he miraculously heal'd Go away sin no more lest a worse thing befal you 'T is both the Duty and Disposition of those who have received the Pardon of their Sins to fear the Lord and his Goodness There is no Principle more clearly natural and sensible than this Dependance includes Observance the receiving Benefits obliges a Person to the Benefactor Accordingly the Psalmist expresses the Affections of the humane and the holy Nature What shall I render to the Lord for all his Benefits and breaks out in an Extasy of Thankfulness O Lord truly I am thy Servant I am thy Servant thou hast broken my Bands The repenting Believer receives Pardon from God with joyful Admiration that fastens his Mind in the Contemplation of his glorious Mercy the serious Thought of it kindles a sacred Fire in his Breast as 't is said of Mary Magdalen Much was forgiven her for she loved much Love to God that results from his pardoning Love to us is singular and supreme and necessarily produces an ardent Desire to please and glorify him and an ingenuous grateful Fear of offending him The Soul that has felt the Terrors of the Lord as the holy and righteous Judg of the World and afterward has been revived by the Light of his Countenance and has tasted how good the Lord is how is it possible to resist such dear and immense Obligations How prodigious to turn the strongest and sweetest Ingagement to Reverence and Obedience into an Encouragement to do that which is odious and offensive in his Sight To sin against Light heightens a Sin into Rebellion but to sin against revealed Love makes it above-measure sinful This is so contrary to natural Conscience and super-natural Grace that 't is the Leprosy of the Wicked not the Spot of God's Children Do you thus requite the Lord O foolish People and unwise The upbraiding reduces them to a defenceless Silence and covers them in black Confusion When Divine Grace pardons our past Sins it cures our depraved Inclinations to future Sins The clearest Discovery of the Heart is by Reflections on God's Mercy The Fear of God's Justice is natural the reverent Regard of his Goodness is a spiritual Affection There is a great Difference between filial Fear of the divine Goodness that is so becoming the Breast of a Christian and so congruous to our present State and servile Fear that is the proper Character of one in the Bondage of Sin The Filial Fear of God is an ingenuous voluntary Affection flowing from Love and freely exercis'd and esteem'd the Treasure of the Soul Servile Fear the Sequel of Guilt is a judicial Impression from the sad Thoughts of the provoked Majesty of Heaven and if the Offender could dissolve the Bands of Conscience he would throw it off Filial Fear is mix'd with Joy 't is the Preservative of God's Favour to us it makes us more circumspect but not less comfortable it opposes Security but establishes the Assurance of Faith the Fear of the Lord and Hope in his Mercy are united Graces Servile Fear has Torment 't is an Alarm within that disturbs the Rest of the Sinner 't is a fretting Fire that secretly torments him in his most luscious Fruitions Filial Fear restrains from all Sin in the Heart and Life because it dishonours and displeases God it denies the carnal Appetites with Sweetness and Satisfaction to the Soul it excites us to obey God with Choice and Complacency Servile Fear induces an Abstinence from some Sins which fly in the Face of Conscience and which the Sinner loves and urges to the outward Performance of Duties which he hates The slavish Spirit is afraid to burn not to sin he is fearful to be damn'd not to displease God Filial Fear is a serious and habitual Constitution of the Soul inseparable from it in all Times and Places 't is influential into the whole Life Servile Fear is a sudden Passion and transient sometimes a sharp Affliction a piercing Sermon awakens a secure Wretch into a Fit of Terror Filial Fear keeps the Soul close to God makes it solicitous lest any Sin should intercept the Light of his Countenance and obstruct Communion with him which is the Paradise of a Saint 't is the gracious Promise of God to his Children I will put my Fear into their Hearts and they shall never depart from me Servile Fear makes the Sinner shy of God's Presence and as unwilling to find him as a Saint is to lose him He is not pleased with Solitude lest the guilty Conscience should have time of Recollection and should look to the Judg above He takes no Delight in the Society of the Saints and the Enjoyment of the Ordinances because God is peculiarly present there and above all things he is afraid to die because then the Spirit returns to God that gave it In short the filial Fear of God ascends with the Soul to Heaven and is the eternal Respect that the blessed Spirits continually pay to his adorable Perfections Servile Fear attends the Sinner to Hell and settles into Despair for ever 2 dly The Doctrine of Divine Forgiveness affords strong Consolation to those who are wounded in Spirit in the Sense of their Sins Those only who feel the intolerable Burden of