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	sin_n	soul_n	13,963	5	5.3517	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A84939	The gale of opportunity. Or, A sermon preached (at Lidbury-North) at the funerall of the worshipfull Humphrey Walcot, of Walcot, Esq. June 8, 1650 and now published, by Thomas Froysell, Minister of the Gospell at Clunne in Shropshire.	Froysell, Thomas, d. ca. 1672.	1652 (1652)	Wing F2249A; ESTC R177209	46,742	52

before how perplexed was his state think you a man drowned and not drowned devoured but not digested alive but yet as dead ah what a dying soul had he in the living Fish expecting every minute the fearefull dissolution of his Soul from his body for he was under horror of conscience now lying on him for his sin and dreadfull conflict of Spirit as if God had forsaken him and given sentence on him for you shall read some such were his expressions Thou hast cast me into the deep that is the Jonah 2. 3 4. Sea then I said I am cast out of thy sight my Soul fainted within me Here Jonah thought his opportunity was gone but the Whale brings him safe to the shore the Whales belly was a place of safety a sanctuary to him had not the Whale received him he might have been drowned for he could not swim to the shore Ah thou poor dejected soul know that God can be angry and yet love thee he can throw thee into the belly of despaire and make thee live in it as the child doth in the wombe The Mothers belly is the Babes Sanctuary the child lyes safe in the womb so shalt thou lye safe in the belly of despair God will make the belly or womb of despair to travel in birth till thou art delivered and therefore doe as Jonah did beleeve in the midst of despaire pray unto the Lord cry unto him out of the whales belly Out of the belly of hell saith Jonah 2. 2. Jonah I cryed and thou heardest my voice Ah blessed word God will hear thee when thou art at the worst if thou couldst pray in hell and repent in hell wert thou in hell if thou couldst beleeve there God would hear thee there a sweet word to a despairing soule Jonah in the Whales belly said Yet I will look againe toward thy holy Temple God will give thee leave to look up to him though thou art in the bottome of destruction I am cast out of thy sight said Jonah yet I will looke againe toward thy holy Temple A soul is never so forsaken of God but he may look up to his God though thou art cast out of his sight yet he will give thee leave to look upon him ah thou for saken soul a look from thee will pierce his bosom a mournfull look from the child wounds the breast of the angry father though the child dares not send out a word yet a mournfull and longing look conquers his Fathers heart Art thou forsaken of God yet thine opportunity is not gone dart a look upon him if thou canst not pray to him yet look upon him God lookes to see whether thou wilt look upon him he waits to be gracious Isa 30. 18. thou waitest to be comforted he waits to comfort thee 5 Mans extremity is Gods opportunity when thou art most ready to perish then is God most ready to save God ordinarily doth not save in danger but in extremity of danger when 't is at the worst with thee then 't is Gods opportunity to help thee as the woman that had the bloody issue her extremity was Christs opportunity She had a wasting disease upon her and time added to it twelve long years had she withered and languished under it besides the tediousnesse her disease must needs get head by continuance yet more to mend the matter poverty which is another disease was super-added to her sicknesse she had spent all that she had upon Physicians her extremity now swels great she hath two evils at once upon her two unsuffererable evils though she were sick yet her wealth as long as she had it would have maintained and succoured her in her sicknesse but now want doth pinch her no lesse then her distemper and helps to make her perfectly miserable she is now perfectly miserable weak and sick and nothing to refresh her in her weaknesse had she spent all and gained her health it had been well enough but alas she hath beggered her selfe undone her state and her body never the better her mony was wasted not her disease Now her extremity is at the height what then her extremity is Christs opportunity when her case is most desparate she is healed 1 Kings 17. ● If I can but touch the hemme of his garment I shall be whole So the widdow of Sarepta Elijah sent to her by God to be sustained by her when he comes he sustaines her she is sustained by him for when he comes and asks her food bring me I pray thee a morsell of bread in thine hand she tells him as the Lord thy God liveth I have not a Cake but an handfull of meal in a barrell and a little oyle in a Cruise and behold I am gathering two sticks that I may goe in and dresse it for me and my Son that we may eat it and dye She was now upon the borders of extremity It was high time for the Lord to send the Prophet to her for poor Soul she was now making her last meal after one meane morsell she was yeelding her selfe over to death she was now going to eat her last that she might dye and what then truly her extremity was Gods opportunity Feare not said Elijah to her goe and doe as thou hast said make me a little Cake first and bring it to me and after make for thee and thy son for thus saith the Lord God of Israel the Barrel of meal shall not waste neither shall the Cruise of oyle faile untill the day that the Lord sendeth raine upon the earth What a showre of comfort was here she was going to eat her last and dye and God sends the Prophet to her to provide for her the whole famine How opportunely doth God provide succour to our distresses It is his glory to helpe at a pinch to begin where wee have given over that his mercy may be so much the more welcome by how much it is the lesse look't for 6 Though I have lost time yet say Lord thou hast not lost time thou wert before all time and canst set time yet before me My losse of time doth not put thee to a losse Object 7 But wil God be a looser by me I have lost him abundance of glory which I might have done him had I improved my opportunities In my loosing my opportunities God hath lost a great deal of his glory Answer God will be content to sit downe by the losse if thou wilt but come in now Oh transcendent mercy he will loose a great part of his glory rather then loose thy soul for he knows he can bear the losse better then thou canst 2 What he looseth of his glory by the one way he gaines another way in pardoning of thee he counts it his glory to pardon thee as the Holy Ghost saith It is a mans glory to passe over a transgression In pardoning the sins thou hast lived in for a time he will gaine glory to himselfe

things to passe easily Oh that this were observed In Gods opportunitie it is an easie thing to beleeve to repent to subdue a sin and to overcome a temptation as it is an easie matter for the Ship to go when she hath the winde to fill her sayls Every thing is done easily in Gods opportunitie whether it be to save a soul or to destroy a soule because God in his opportunity makes all things concur and brings circumstances together to strike up the action suddenly you shall see it 1 First In the ruine of a man in the destruction of a man when 't is Gods opportunitie to destroy a man what easie way will he make for 't As Saul when Gods time came that he must perish he slew himselfe there was no difficulty in the 1 Sam. 31. 4. worke he fell himselfe upon his sword as the stone doth to its center How easily was Jericho taken when the Priests blew the Trumpets and the people shouted the wals fel down flat of themselves How easily was Pharaoh and his Army destroyed in the red Sea The Sea was divided and a way made for him that he might not stand upon 't but run voluntary into the womb of death Oh the efficacy of Gods opportunities How easily did Goliah fall what stirres and blusterings did he act a little before upon the stage of pride and boasting making a challenge to all Israel but when Gods opportunitie comes how easily is he slaine And therefore the Scripture speaks this with an Emphasis So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone and smote the Philistine and slew him but there was no sword in the hand of David 2 So Gods opportunities worke good for men easily they bring great matters of good to passe with no difficulty when 't is Gods opportunitie that David shall take possession of his Kingdome it fals into his mouth as it were not onely Saul but all his sons that might stand as so many screens between David and the Crowne are taken out of the way The house of Judah they of themselves come and annoint David King over them Then Abner Sauls Generall of his whole Army displeased with Ishbosheth revolts to David and all the Tribes come to Hebron to annoint David King over Israel Do you see this great worke is done to his hand So in Gods opportunities it is an easie thing to beleeve and repent Act. 16. 14. Luk. 19. 6. 1 Kin. 19. 20. Ah my beloved the ease of beleiving and repenting attends a peculiar opportunity of Gods owne vouchsafing in which he doth more readily worke then at other times How shall I know when 't is easie for me to beleeve and repent 1 When the light of the spirit doth flash into the eye of thy soule then thy worke is easie as when the light of the day doth dart its rayes in at the windows of thy Chamber 't is easie for thee to read a small print Thus when a light from Heaven did shine upon Paul and shine into Paul how easie did his worke come off Lord what wilt thou have me to doe 2 When thy heart is made combustible and ready to take fire as when the tinder is dry 't is easie to light a candle the least sparke that fals on it takes fire and when the fire is combustible it is an easie matter to kindle a fire it burnes presently So when thy heart is softned it easily takes the impression of the seale upon it and when thy thoughts are stir'd up and made combustible 't is an easie matter to kindle them into a fire of repentance as in the Acts when they were pricked in Act. 2. the heart they said Men and brethren what shall wee doe repent saith Peter and they took presently 3 When thine affections and desires are upon the wheel then any worke is easie as when a load is upon the wheel 't is drawne easily whereas if you should goe about to lug it along upon the ground it comes on heavily and therefore the Lord pursuing Pharaoh took off his Chariot wheels and they drave on heavily So when God puts thine affections upon the wheel and sets them a going then 't is easie for thee to doe great matters and therefore observe thine opportunity 2 Gods opportunities are sudden and unexpected they come upon us without preparation God doth not send us word before hand when he will visit us and come to us as sometimes we send to a friend that we will dine with him or speake with him at such an howre but Gods opportunities come suddenly upon us in the twinkling of an eye before we be aware when we know nothing of it and the spirit rusheth in upon a man and gives him no notice before hand Thus Christ came and called Matthew follow me on a sudden whilst he was sitting at the receipt of Custome And he arose and followed him Some poor soules have sent up many a prayer to heaven for assurance and it hath not come and they poor creatures have thought that God hath not regarded them all the while and then on a sudden assurance hath come when they look't not for it Ah dear father how many mercies from thee have come to us uninvited thy preventing grace and mercy doth alwayes visit us uninvited we send not for it it comes freely to us 3 Gods opportunities come besides our intention they come sometimes when we aime not at them We stumble upon heaven when we are seeking something else as a man that digged in his garden only to set roots and plants and found a pot of gold there and as Saul went to Samuel to enquire for his Fathers Asses and found a Kingdome This was besides his intention he sought one thing and found another his poor Asses were in his intention but a Crowne was the object he met with in execution Oh the misteries of opportunity 'T is so many times in the matters of heaven I am found saith God of them that sought me not Many a soul findes Heaven besides his intention How strangely doe some meet with a Commission they meet with heaven and grace by accident as it were they goe to a place onely to seek health or food something for the body and there they light upon besides their intention salvation for their soules as the lame man seeing Peter and John asked an almes there was all his intention and met with a cure both of body and soule and the woman of Samaria came to the Well for water and there found a Christ It was an accident to her to meet Christ there Gods opportunity comes upon her besides her intention Ah gracious God! that she should come for water that very houre when Christ was there not before nor after but that very houre when Christ is there shee came for water which was but puddle and found a Spring of life So the Marriners that took Jonah into their Ship they received him onely