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	soul_n	union_n	7,019	5	9.6724	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A52808	The crown and glory of a Christian consisting in a sound conversion and well ordered conversation.	Ness, Christopher, 1621-1705.	1676 (1676)	Wing N450; ESTC R26867	31,261	167

first Direction Ponder the Original of your clothing it was not in the state of innocency for then was there neither parching heat nor pinching cold and nakedness was then no shame but a glorious comeliness shame is the daughter of sin which brought in the first clothing as well as distemperature of air in heat and cold the fruits of the fall Remember that nakedness of the soul brought in the first clothing for the body so that 't is but the badg of mans shame and the token of his rebellion against his Maker it carries along with it a secret confession of his own guilt You may not then be proud of your apparel for that is to be proud of your own shame no man is proud of a plaister on his sore for that demonstrates there is a wound no thief is proud of his fetters for they declare he hath offended the law and that heinously neither must you be of your garments which are the cover of your shame and the sign of your sin 2. The second Direction Take notice that all your clothing are but borrowed things how do you borrow the skin hair and wool of bruit beasts to cover your nakedness withal and what are your silks but the spittle and excrements of a poor worm all as it were the very cast-apparel of unreasonable creatures Man lives on borrowing and that from things that are worse than himself in respect of their nature Therefore you may not be proud of these things that you borrow no creature so beggarly so needy as man is in point of clothing for every creature brings its clothing into the world with it but you were born a naked creature and must borrow all to cover you Ezek. 16. 4. 6 and will you be proud as the Crow in the fable of your borrow'd feathers you may well know that your God doth not cover you for any such end 3. The third Direction instead of proud reflections on your self use holy Soliloquies with your self saying 1. I have a naked soul to cover as well as a naked body and therefore must look out for the wedding garment to wit the righteousness of Christ both imparted and imputed I must put on the Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 13. 14 that I may not be found naked Rev. 16. 15 but that I may be comely to God as well as to man 2ly The putting off your clothing at night should mind you of putting off the old man c. Eph. 4. 22 and of putting off your tabernacle of corruption 2 Pet. 1. 14. 2 Cor. 5.2 3 4. and then must you go down to the bed of the grave there to sleep till the morning of the Resurrection 3ly When you put on your clothing again in the morning it should mind you that you must be rais'd out of the bed of the grave and then corruption shall put on incorruption and mortality shall be swallow'd up of life 1 Cor. 15. 53. 2 Cor. 5. 4. If you have put on the new man the image of God in Christ The second sort of Actions are Civil as your Commerce and trading with others The second sort of Actions are Civil as your commerce and trading with others 1. Direction the first That you may be kept from sinning herein get your heart fraught with the fear of God as Joseph Gen. 42. 18 and Neh. 5.9 15 those good men had a curb upon them to restrain them from wronging others and where this curb is not men will not stick at any sin as Gen. 20. 11. 2 Direct Lay your souls under that command of God in the Old Testament Levit. 25. 14 In buying and selling ye shall not oppress one another And under that in the New 1 Thes 4. 6. Defraud not one another and fall down before the authority of those commands as one that must give an account of all 3 Dir. As you are to observe Gods precepts so must you godly presidents especially that of father Abraham Gen. 23. 15 The land is worth 400 shekels if so then Abraham cannot be cozened here is fair dealing from heathens the seller doth not ask too much nor doth the buyer bid too little only one price is pitch'd upon and paid down and all is done for such bargains be made among Christians 4 Direct Put your self in your Chapmans stead and do to him as you would have him do to you in the like case Mat. 7. 12. Job 16.4 the buyer should put himself in the sellers stead and the seller in the buyers 5 Dir. Get your heart weaned from all immoderate love of the world the love of money is the root of all evil 1 Tim. 6. 10 hence comes all cozenage supposing that gain is godliness which is no other than a worshipping of Mammon View but in your Contemplations once a day the joys of Heaven and 't will wean you by degrees from those toys of the earth 6 Direct Esteem highly of honesty and holiness in all actions and that far above wealth or honour 't is indeed wages to itself Ps 19. 11 in keeping them there is great reward But you may say of defrauding as Gen. 27. 12 It will bring a curse and not a blessing The third sort of Actions are Religious The third sort of Actions are Religious which are either private or publick the first of which will discover your state best to you for every man is what he is in private and a truly pious soul will be found in Religious actions as well in the shade as in the Sun he will make conscience of duty as well when no body sees him for he knows he 's always under the all-seeing eye as when any or many see him you must go beyond the hypocrite in the practice of secret duty As 1 In hearty bewailings of your own imperfections 2 In hearty bleeding acknowledgments of your unkindnesses to Christ and to his gracious Spirit 3 In pantings and inquietations of foul after Union and Communion with God 4 In hungrings and longings after spiritual refreshment and transforming of soul in every duty The unsound heart is a stranger to those and to secret addresses to God or at most but slight in them if found in that work at all he is careless in self-examination cursory in meditation saint in heart-watchings and feeble in mortification but nothing at all in loving and walking with God and delighting in him Do you more than he in all these and be but a good Christian in private duties and you cannot be a bad one in publick 1. More particularly concerning Religious Actions And 1. Of Meditation that most necessary and much neglected duty this must be 1 your spiritual ladder as Jacob had his whereon you ascend in divine Contemplations of the excellency of your blessed and bleeding Saviour till your heart be ravished therewithal 2. Meditation must be 2 your spiritual limbeck whereby the choicest and noblest spirit may be extracted Oh how this divine limbeck will cause tears to

prayer as they have often used yet their hearts are roving all the time about other things God requires the strength of your affections in his service every offering must be made by fire if of a sweet favour to the Lord Levit. 1.9 13 17. yea your self as well as your sacrifice must be salted with fire Mark 6.49 David prayed and cryed with his whole heart Psal 119. 58 145. Sampson bows himself with all his might at the pillars of Dagons Temple Judg. 16. 30. and have not you the strong-holds of sin in you to be pull'd down by prayer You must go to prayer as the Sun in its strength Judg. 5.31 and come to God as a Prince Job 31. 37. the Sun in his might doth disperse clouds that would darken it and a princely spirit to wrestle with God as Jacob hath power with God and prevaileth for the blessing to put off God with cold formal devotion is the epidemical disease of all Christendom 5. Be not regardless about the returns of your prayers nor careless of the event and issue of them be not like those Archers that shoot not at a mark but at rovers at random never observing where their arrows fall Spiritual prayers are the arrows of Gods deliverance 2 King 13. 16 17. Prayer is like the bow of Ionathan 2 Sam. 1.22 it never returns empty If you dare be careless in asking how can you wonder that God is careless in answering 6. Be clothed with Humility while you are in prayer to God he that resists the proud gives grace to the humble In order hereto get the majesty of the great God with whom you have to do therein wrought kindly upon your heart till you know aright your distance not only your natural distance 'twixt God and you as you are a creature but especially your moral distance 'twixt God and you as you are a sinner In the third place I shall add but one Religious Action more to wit 1. the Observation of the Sabbath which yet is instar omnium wherein all religious actions be summarily comprehended You must look upon the Sabbath as the Epitome and Compendium of all Religion having all the priviledges that commend the most substantial precepts in Scripture to us as 1. its frequent mentioning almost in every book of the Bible 2. Gods interest after a special manner in it 't is frequently call'd His Sabbath And 3ly 't is called a special gift and favour of God to his people Exod. 16. 29. Ezek. 20. 12. Neh. 9. 14. 'T is a great favour of God that it is given to you 2. Therefore you must remember to keep it holy Exod. 20. 8. it may be read thus Remember to keep holy a day of rest unto me six days shalt thou labour but a seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God The very Preface Remember which none of the other Commands have instructs you how weighty and necessary this duty is which you are prone to forget 3. That you may keep it holy you must in the first place have an high and holy estimation of it the phrase is He that esteemeth a day and he that regardeth a day Rom. 14. 5 6. You must have an high regard for it and esteem it honourable Isa 58. 13. as the day which the Lord hath made Psal 118. 12. this Christ applys to the day of his Resurrection Mat. 21. 24. How can it but be an honourable day to you which the Lord your God hath sanctified for you 2ly As you must have an holy estimation of it so you must make an holy preparation for it you must prepare to meet your God Amos 4. 12 as the Bride prepares her self to meet her bride-groom how did Ruth wash her self and anoint her and put on her best raiment that she might become amiable and acceptable to Boaz Ruth 3. 3. how much more should you be purified for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords The Jews had a preparation for the Passeover Joh. 19.42 you must make preparation for the Sabbath the want of which may hinder your souls of a Sabbath-blessing as no doubt it has done 3ly You must keep it holy by an holy observation of it in using all holy means and doing all holy duties both private and publick all the whole day 4. Be sure it be a desirable day to you as well as holy and honourable it should be the desire of days You should cry with that good man to it in the morning of the Sabbath Come my bride of days thou art welcome and with David say Oh when shall I come and appear before my God Psal 42.2 where are your pantings and palpitations of heart after an enjoyment of Gods Sabbath You have six days to provide for the worser part and but one for the better how careful are you all the six days for the beast in you Oh be not careless upon that one day for the Angel in you 5. Let not your hold go of any one precious Sabbath without some sweet refreshment to your soul as well as rest to your body 't is said Exod. 31. 17. the Lord rested and was refreshed is it so with you do you find any rest for your wandring thoughts and any refreshing for your feeble spirit account it a very great loss to lose one Sabbath-day without some advantage and growth Oh what a God-blessing heart should you have that God should give you such a day and call upon you also and that often to observe that day and that not for any advantage to himself for your goodness extends not to God Psal 16. 3. though his doth to you but all for your own good This obliges you to be careful and conscientious in the improvement of the day and honouring the Son with his day under the Gospel as they honor'd the Father with