Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	bring_v	consult_v	great_a	35	3	2.1578	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87086	The difficvlty of sions deliverance and reformation: together with the activitie which her friends should manifest during the time that her cause is in agitation. Delivered in a sermon at Margarets Westminster, before the honourable House of Commons on Wednesday morning, the twenty-sixt day of Iune. 1644. / By Humphrey Hardwick, Minister of the Word at Hadam Magna in the County of Hertfard, and one of the Assembly of Divines.	Hardwick, Humphrey, b. 1601 or 2.	1644 (1644)	Wing H704; Thomason E2_9; ESTC R2445	22,618	46

touch When the Israelites had license granted by Cyr●● to return 〈◊〉 Babylon there were many of them so 〈…〉 gone and change their station as the Church after praises for deliverance was forced to sollicite the Lord of mercy afresh to turne their captivitie Men are naturally wedded to what they have had and albeit they know things were not so well as they ought and might be yet Issachar-like they had rather stoop to the burthen then to be at pains to put it off slavishly they think it was well enough it may serve turn and what will come of change is uncertain So in Egypt at the Bricke Kilnes they had flesh pots and garden commodities they eat to the full they slept well and had straw enough till Moses came and if therefore they could make any accommodation with Pharaoh they would trouble themselves no further This unwillingnesse made them sticke so long in Egypt and most certainly this retarded their journey in the wildernesse forty yeares yea more made the Lord to sweare in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest The Lord is justly slow to help an unwilling people and hence see another reason why the work is so extremely difficult A nation or people are with much ado brought to a capacitie or rendered fit to be delivered and estabilished thorowout Reformation is like a new piece not fit to be sowed in an old garment and there needs be a new frame of spirit in the land before Gods great work can be settled and placed in it Further to illustrate this give me leave to point out foure things which by consulting the sacred Volume I find requisite to be in a people before they are capable of deliverance and reformation First they must be truly and throughoutly sensible of their bondage and misery and clearly brought off confidence in the arme of flesh When the deliverer came at first to visite his brethren they put him away saying Who made thee a Judge and why was this because they were not yet sensible of their own want found not themselves to need a deliverer by which it was evident they were not sit nor as yet capable of such a mercy but after some more years when another King arose which knew not Ioseph and began to make heavier their bondage then the Hebrews grow fully sensible and God saith The crie of the Children of Israel is come up to me come now therefore and I will send thee that thou maist bring them out Exod. 3.9 10. and we may see by this when a people is fit for deliverance The Prophet Hosea likewise acquiants us that when Ephraim first saw his wound he went to the Assyrians and sent to King Iareb Hos. 5.13 and whilest thus it was with them they were unsit uncapable of Gods cure and so continue untill they see their errour return to the Lord and take with them words saying We will not ride upon horses Ashur shall not save us Hos. 14.1 2 3 4. Another propertie is for a people to be willing to do what they can to help themselves to carry on the work to the uttermost If the Children of Israel begin to be afraid of the Giants and declare themselves unwilling and loath to fight with the supposed terrible mastie inhabitants of the land of Canaan they do thereby clearly discover themselves to be unsit or uncapable of such a mercy as seemed in probabilitie to be near unto them God hereupon continued their Pilgrimage in the wildernesse forty years untill all were dead that were thus loath to do what they could to help themselves After this the people grow to a fit temper and become capable of entring the Land of promise and see what their disposition was Iosh. 1.16 All that thou commandest us we will doe and whithersoever thou sendest us we will 〈◊〉 The people being thus ready to do what they could are now capable of mercy A third propertie requisite is a willingnesse to remove and part with all things which may hinder perfect reformation In the tenth of la●●ges we finde that the philistines and the Amorites did grievously oppresse Israel who in their misery repaire unto God for succour acknowledging their sinnes imploring his helpe but the Lord returns answer I will deliver you no more A strange repulse by a mercifull Father given And if you skan the businesse you shall finde it was for that Israel kept still amongst them the things which did and might hinder Gods helping and delivering of them to wit their strange gods But when they had considered and found out that to be the cause they put them away and presently they were holpen yea more the Text faith Gods 〈◊〉 was grieved for the miseries of Israel lo how removing the things which may hinder did alter the case vers. 13 and 16. Lastly a people are not sit for help and deliverance till they be freely content to be at the charge of in When Ephraim is an emptie vine to God sparing niggardly in his service ruine not reformation is like to succeed Hosea 10. And consult the Story of the Kings of ludah you shall finde but one thorowout Reformation and this was in the dayes of l●siah and how liberall were the hands of the people in those dayes they brought in money to the work sans weight and measure The value of the gold and silver of the molten Images was not regarded nor saved out of an husbandly thriftinesse but they stamped it and all other costly utensils which were superstitiously imployed into pieces and made dust of them And gave in of their own more then sufficient this bountie and freenesse of spirit argued them to be truly fit and capable of greater Reformation then any was wrought before them Now consider my Brethren by these notes how hard a thing how much ado it will be before a nation or people will be brought to such qualifications there must be ploughing sowing planting and supplanting in a nation or kingdome ere a worke of full Reformation will be brough about My fixt Reason of this point is from the providence of God who will have the businesse I speak of to be thus for the discovery of unfound and unsincere instruments and to take away the glory of his Churches deliverance from them It is the most noble and greatest honour that ever can come to mortall men on earth to be instruments of publique good to a nation especially to Gods Church and people mostly in the cause of restauration and Reformation Now this being so specious and desireable a thing all forts good and bad pious and profane are ambitions of the happinesse of it If therefore the businesse should go on with a faire gale and a flowing tide accompanied still with likelihood of successe and evidence of credibilitie how many Iehu-like would say Come see my zeal How many of the old Israelites which came out of Egypt approved the golden calfe and hankered after superstitions vanities had

and much more then I can possibly conceive doth in this Psalm point them as well to grief as to mirth shew them joyfull things whereof they might be glad as intimate heavie pressures and oppositions which they must strive and struggle with even do teares teares I say not like those of the Thessalonians for their dead without hope but such as should be put into Gods bottle and wiped away in the end with comfort and rejoycing So saith my Text They that sow in teares c. The words you see are metaphoricall alluding to the businesse of the field we must a little dive into the metaphor to finde out their meaning Now this presents the husbandmans case in times of great scarcitie and dearth when he hath not enough to satisfie his want and sow his land His hungry family craves for bread to the full which if he give his land will be unsowed to their further prejudice and therefore he hath thoughts of deniall but then the present want speaks much sad countenances leane cheeks lanke bellies become powerfull oratours to the relenting heart of the father of the family Full faine would he supply their present need but the apprehension of probable approching famine doth deterre it would be but small comfort to eat now to the full and the very next yeare to sacrifice their lives to hunger After the revolutions of many thoughts on both sides the wary seedsman resolves to deny himself and family for the present to commit his precious seed to the breeding wombe of the thankfull earth But being now on his way to the field the eccho of childrens necessitie sounds in his eare the sense of their great want afflicts his soul Besides it is a long time to harvest and many casualties these thoughts renew sorrow in his breast which breaks forth into weeping by the way and whilst he soweth his seed he drops his teares But observe what follows he reaps in joy he comes again rejoycing bringing his sheaves with him In my little reading and small experience I have found that corn sowen in dear years and times of scarcitie hath yeelded much more encrease then at other times so that presently after much want there hath fallowed great plentie of grain even beyond expectation Now since I have considered this Psalm me thinks I apprehend one speciall reason more then formerly Besides the improvement of mens pains and circumspection usuall in such times I note that they then sow in prayers and teares and this doth surely increase their store thus for certaine was the case in my Text Now the spirit of God applyes this to the encouragement of those that labour in the work of turning Sions captivitie they that sweat in this businesse must take notice that their condition is like the case of such an husbandman first in the act then in the issue And of these there is intimated a fourefold counter-change in my Text First sowing and reaping Secondly teares and joy Thirdly mourning on and returning backe Fourthly bearing precious seed weeping and bringing sheaves with gladnesse See here my Brethren manifold labour indeed yet none in vain each hath an answerable recompence of reward attending it sowing with reaping tears with joy sad travelling with sweet returning bearing away precious seed with bringing of sheaves is seconded and rewarded Who can choose to note a much ravishing elegancy in this language of the Spirit in comparison whereof the highest straines of profane rhetoricians are pure barbarisme I have read a learned Writer admiring why the world for the most part is so much taken with the fabulous Histories and allusions of heathen Poets whilst their minds are no whit affected with these sacred songs but the reason is apparent mens minds mostly are ca●nall and these Psalmes are spirituall no wonder then that they cannot see the worth nor set the true value on the sense and phrase of the Scripture Truly Christians might grieve and shame at this but no more of such observation I onely hint it by the way and proceed The Spirit in penning down this part of the Psalm doth call the Israelites to a serious consideration of their state in the time of turning their captivitie It would not for the present be better then before yea it might seem to be much worse Iacobs seed in Egypt under-went more heavie endurances after the Deliverer was come then before In the act and time of restauration it should be like to the man that ploughs sowes sweats trudges travels parts with his deare grain and patiently waits for what will follow Gods people in their return from Babylon shall not presently or easily be restored and reformed but with much difficultie and hazard many hard enterprises must be attempted through much trouble danger and opposition must they run part they must with their ease and safetie with their comforts and worldly contentments These all as precious seed must be laid in the dust and die in hope of future spring In the issue also Sions deliverance and restauration is sutable with the metaphor for when the weeks of harvest the due and appointed time is come the labourers in Sions husbandry shall reap according as they have sowed or sparingly or plentifully yea they shall all reap with joy and their joy shall be as the joy of harvest When others shall perish and come to a fearfull end when their name shall vanish and go out in nastinesse when their place shall know them no more then shall the just return with credit and comfort shall they return to their own land for the meek shall inherit the earth saith Christ yet more their cup shall overflow for they shall come again with joy and bring their sheaves with them The meaning of the Text thus manifested we may observe a treble vertue in the words 1. The force of instruction giving the Israelites and all Gods people to understand how painfull and sorrowfull the worke and times will be when the Church is in travaile of deliverance 2. The words have the force of exhortation calling the sonnes and daughters all the friends of Sion to be up and doing to be active to their uttermost in her behalfe 3 They have the force of motive or inducement to 〈◊〉 still active and waiting untill Sions deliverance be effected The first sentence then of holy doctrine which I propound is from the words as they declare the condition of Gods people in the times of restauration and deliverance and so they clearly intimate this Very hard and extremely difficult is the work and sad will the times be when the Church is in travaile of deliverance Husbandry is the hardest restlesse kinde of labour and that I speak of is like ploughing and sowing in tears Doth not Scripture in expresse termes call the restoring of Israel Gods great Gods strange worke now that proves it to be difficult in an high degree In the time of the Iudges when the sinne of corrupt and luxurious priests was

every one in his place and station to few precious seed What considering man then would suffer sloth or negligence ease or self respects to hinder him from being an instrument of so great good as may come to the Church and State Many of you are all of you may be under God the cause of much good to many generations Be therefore of S. Pauls minde suffer nothing to deprive you of the glory of such rejoycing and the testimony of a good conscience And now in speciall manner I desire to commend foure things as part of the pious endeavours which should chiefly be laid down as precious seed to bring on the happie work in hand The first of these is an holy conscionable sincere observance of these dayes of humiliation By Moses law the man who did not humble and afflict his soul in such a day was to be cut off from Israel Levit. 25.29 to be onely customary and formall in these which should be our most pure devotions is a sinne of more grievous consequence then we are aware of to dissemble with our God in Fasting and Prayer is a kinde of horrible impietie for Gods sake therefore be you carefull and conscionable in preparing your souls to meet the Lord in the dayes of atonement be ye holy heavenly faithfull sincere and entire with God in these extraordinary services Let it be your worke on these dayes to strive to mortifies your sins and sanctifie your souls to bewaile the iniquities of the land for the divisions of Reuben let there be great thoughts of heart These my Brethren are the highest services that we can do for God our selves or the kingdome and you being our Worthies should go before and exceed others in them if therefore you will not do so but refuse and sleight or be superficiall in the performance of them behold ye have sinned against the Lord and be ye sure your sinne shall finde you out The next thing I commend is the speedy impartiall execution of justice You know that by standing up quickly and executing justice Phin●ha● Presem by said the plague when asas the slowing and neglecting of it continued the plague hereafter here in Davids time It was doubtlesse neglect and corruption of justice next to pollutions of Gods worship irreligiousnesse and profanenesse that hath brought our kingdome to its misery the speedy therefore and impartiall ministration of it is a proper medicine for our maladie And it is somewhat a sad thing to note little justice hath been done on bloudy traiterous deliequent enemies of God and man more then what 's the Lord himself hath done by the hand of warre it may be that feareful way of execution hath and will continue till the more desirable swords of justice be drawn to purpose in the cutting off when 〈◊〉 of our combustions the sonnes of Be lial who in God hath put into your hand to punish The third thing I desire may be specially cared for is the 〈◊〉 pre●●●grand prosecution of the national convenant a 〈◊〉 plensing to God profitable to the kingdomes by which 〈◊〉 is and through God's blessing may be the 〈…〉 blow given to the whore of Babylon and 〈…〉 impes that ever yet was Now to have this 〈…〉 ●●ngst us or laid aside whilst malignants and 〈◊〉 live in our bosome blessing and in feered applauding themselves that they have neither taken this nor any of your for 〈◊〉 prove 〈◊〉 many moneths have passed over and no account made nor any questionned or dealt with for refusing This is our case and I appeal to wiser judgements whether this may not be the way to lessen the honour and authoritie of the High Court of Parliament and their Ordinances May not this likewise cause the common sort to deem themselves little bound in conscience to keepe the Covenant when they see others not bound to take it Will not this render all zealous advocates for the Covenant as temporizers and give the refusers occasion to triumph over us as men of large consciences to do any thing that shall be required like Bishops creatures and the superstitious and conformists of late These are but a few of many a glimpse a hint of the inconveniences which may happen pardon me then in being bold to point out the pressing and prosecution of the Covenant as one kinde of precious seed to be sowen amongst others in Sions be●●f The last thing which I shall commend to your s●●ous consideration whom it doth concern is special care to seek and preserve the mutuall love honour and esteem each of other Oh! that Saint Pauls Lesson might be learned of our worthy Nobles and Senatours one to esteem of another ●●lter then himself Oh! that were a delight in bre●●● and follow-instruments and specially in those who excell in vertue zeal and faith 〈…〉 ●ring for the publique good Sure it is 〈…〉 honourable for any to minde solely 〈…〉 ●own same and esteem and not care how to the rep●●te of others lye Frō hence I fear come things that arennseemly and by which the publique proceeding may suffer obstruction My earnest desire therefore and praye●● that the God of peace and consolation would make you like minded one towards another and each willing to deny himself to seek the esteem of others in love and above all to forward and advance the Nationall and common Cause Lo these are the four things which out of dutie to God true zeal to Sion and due reverence to the Worthies to whom I speak I humbly desire may be thought upon and practised to the glory of our God and emolument of his Church And the better to prevail in this my suit I shall apply the third vertue or force which lyeth in the words of my Text as speciall arguments of inducement to perswade there unto Consider then first I beseech you that those endeavours with that activity I speak of are by the Spirit of God in my Text signified to be as fruitfull precious seed which dies not in the earth but lives to yeeld increase And this me thinks is aboundantly sufficient to incite every man to act his uttermost If I could assure any husbandman that every graine of such kinde of seed should live and not one corne perish I need say no more to move him to industry how plentifull would be the in sowing a how free in cost and pains-taking But now past all peradventure I may assure the seeds-man of Sions Cause that his endeavours are such pre●●ous seed as that no one grain shall be lost but 〈…〉 again to yeeld him encrease It is like a ca 〈…〉 down for joy which shall certainly be paid You may ve act therefore hence much incouraged Secondly I note that hardnes and difficulty in sowing is no way comparable to the sweetnesse and comfort in reaping There 's no compare me thinks between the tears and the joy in the Text these farre surmount and exceed them as the metaphor and words of expression seem to import Rationall and considering men therefore should be justly provoked with this consideration Did not Moses make the best choise upon this ground Doth not Saint 〈◊〉 encourage to sufferings upon like reason Ram 〈◊〉 And certainly this well weighed may prevail with us Thirdly mind we the undoubted certainty of our harvest verified by divers absolute positive ass●ver●●tion in the Text he shall reap he shall come again he shall bring his sheaves with him here 's no Item of continge neylor possibilitie but all absolute ●●●●tions anto 〈◊〉 know he 〈◊〉 to die arti● shall 〈◊〉 away but a lot of Gods Word shall not fail 〈◊〉 shall prevent the harvest of a labourer in Sions 〈…〉 ●●●●tly Consider 〈◊〉 multiplicitie of the 〈…〉 shall be reaped by such endeavour 〈…〉 not be a reddition of grain for grains or moni●●● 〈◊〉 not yet of care for grains but of sheaven for 〈◊〉 This shall be full measure 〈…〉 over 〈…〉 blessings be on the head of eve●●● where is 〈◊〉 and faithfull in carrying 〈◊〉 of Sions cause And may not 〈◊〉 take any fou● 〈…〉 with every sprit to set it selfe 〈…〉 and 〈◊〉 it selfing all hopefull ende 〈◊〉 to the glory of 〈◊〉 the good of the Church and Kingdome and the great Joy and blessing of the undertakers 〈…〉 God will and let us now 〈…〉 all pray God it 〈◊〉 FINIS Doct.