Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	command_v	young_a	youth_n	33	3	8.1196	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A96372	A treatise of the power of godlinesse: consisting of three parts. 1 wherein it consists. 2 cautions against, and discoveries of, several mistakes and hinderances, most common to the people of God. 3 several means and helps for attaining of it. / By Thomas White, preacher of Gods Word in London.	White, Thomas, Presbyterian minister in London.	1658 (1658)	Wing W1848; Thomason E1848_1; ESTC R209711	168,479	438

of the Priests being cloathed all in white which he doing Alexander as soon as he saw him fell prostrate before him his Army wondering at his carriage Parmenio asked him what he meant to worship the High-Priest when all others worshipped him He answered he did not worship the High-Priest but that God whom the High-Priest served For saith Alexander when I was in Dio considering what to do in my wat 's God appeared unto me in this very artire and wished me to go on and hee would prosper me and I never since saw any in that attire before now and therefore it is that I do shew that respect to the High Priest and then giving the High-Priest his hand was conducted by him into the Temple and offered Sacrifice according to his directions who also did shew him the Prophesie of Daniel wherein he told him it was prophesied that one of the Grecians should destroy the Persians and hee supposed that hee was the person meant by the Prophecy of which Alexander was very joyful and bestowed great favours both on the High-Priests and the rest of the Jewes Now because of all the stories of the Martyrs either in the time of the Primitive Church or since by the far greater cruelty of the Popish persecution I do not know that ever I read any story equal to this which is recorded by Josephus of the Martyrdome of the seven sons of one Mother I thought good to insert this story which though as for the substance of it it is in the book of Macchabees yet being exceeding more large in Josephus I have transcribed it out of him and the rather do I set down this story because generally Expositors do think that the Apostle in Hebrewes 11.35 hath relation to the sufferings of these worthy Martyrs and it was thus Antiochus whom the Prophet Daniel calls a vile person Dan. 11.21 after he had Martyr'd Eleazer a man of great age reverence piety and constancy caused seven brethren who were brought up and instructed by that blessed fore-named Martyr Eleazer to be brought forth to Martyrdome the Tyrant beholding them and their Mother amongst them with merry and gladsome countenance hee thus spake unto the children I wish your good O admirable young men for so both your beauty of body and Noble parentage perswade mee do not therefore like mad men resist my command avoid not only torments but death also for I desire not only to exalt you unto honour but also to encrease your riches and possessions contemn the superstitious and superfluous belief of your Countrymen and imbrace our Religion which if you refuse to do as I hope you will not I will devise all torments whereby I may by a lingring and painful death consume you and to the end hee might terrifie them the more hee commanded all instruments of torments to bee presented to their view so wheels rods hooks rakes racks cauldrons cages gridirons were brought forth and engines to torment the fingers and hands gauntlets bellowes brazen pots and frying pans Then Antiochus said Consent unto mee O prudent young men for if that I command you to commit a sin yet do not you offend in doing it seeing you commit it only upon compulsion But the young youths guided by a Divine Spirit contemned so many kindes of torments and despised the Tyrants threats and flatteries and with one consent denied to eat of the Sacrificed Swines flesh as they were commanded wherefore said they doest thou persecute us that are innocent wee both desire and wish to die and will until such time as death expelleth life firmly keep that which God commanded and Moses taught us and do not thou seek to seduce us by protesting feigned love towards us the pardon which thou dost offer is to us more dangerous than punishment we are arm'd with contempt of death and esteem not thy words as being by our late Master Eleazer taught to despise them Why then dost thou think such pusillanimity to bee in us young men seeing of late thou foundest such courage in an old man we follow him thou canst not try and know our mindes except by tearing our bodies thou search them out Wee will safely and securely suffer for our God any thing and leaving this earth we shall bee entertained into heaven and thou for so tyrannizing most cruelly upon innocent souls shalt bee reserved unto hell fire Antiochus being greatly moved to see that hee could neither prevail by fair promises nor threatnings hee caused them to bee beaten with Bulls Pisles and first hee commanded the eldest of the seven brethren to be stript and stretched out upon a rack and his hands to bee bound behinde him and then to bee most cruelly beaten who wearied his tormentors by his sufferings so that they more desired to leave beating him than hee desired they should leave This done hee was put upon a wheel and a weight hang'd upon his feet and so stretched round about it that his sinews and intrals brake and so his pains encreased yet for all the pain his mouth was not hindred from calling upon God who beheld all and reproving the Tyrant that devised those torments for the innocent hee cryed out after this manner O thou that persecutest the Majesty of God I whom thou thus tormentest am no Conjurer nor Murderer but one that dies for the truth and observing of the Lawes of God Then the Tormentors wishing him to yeeld Your wheels said hee are not so sharp and cruel that I thereby will bee forced to forsake heaven whereon my minde is fixed tear my flesh yea if it so please you roast it at the fire torture each part of my body with several cruelties you shall for all this finde your selves unable to force us young men to sin As hee thus spake a fire was kindled and hee as hee was upon the wheel racked was so thrown into the fire And thus hee was so burned that his bowels appeared he being nothing moved though his flesh was out of the midst of the fire cryed thus to his brethren O beloved brethren learn by mee an example of constancy contemn and despise the alluring baits of this world and rather obey God than Antiochus who can if hee please humble the proud and mighty and exalt the lowly and dejected As thus he spake hee was taken out of the flame and flean alive his tongue was pull'd out of his mouth and hee put into a Frying-pan and so hee ended his dayes After him the second Brother being haled by the Souldiers Antiochus before hee asked him whether hee would relent caused all those instruments of torments to bee shown him also thereby to terrifie him but hee nothing thereat moved and denying to eat of their foresaid Sacrifice his hands were bound with iron chains and hee being hang'd up by them the Skin of his body was flean from the Crown of his head unto his knees so that the intrals in his brest appeared naked yet in such manner

the Prince out of his great clemency sent a Proclamation wherein hee signified his free pardon of all those that would return and own and obey him as their Soveraign divers did magnifie the rareness of the hand and the sublimity and graciousness of the expressions of this writing many took Copies of it and publish'd it and expounded it to others but returned not but continued and perish'd in their rebellions It is not having Bibles in our houses or the bare believing of the truths in them no nor the publishing or explaining of them in our Pulpits without the practising of them in our lives and conversations can save us wee must consider how far these truths concern us God hath not given us those glorious truths to gaze on but to practise O that they were wise saith God and that they would consider their latter end Who is there that know not they must die but who is there that considereth it and the great concernment of it to themselves and lives accordingly this is the singular benefit of meditation which not onely strengthens our faith in the truths wee consider but shews us how much they concern us and apply them to our own behoof as is further express'd and explain'd in that small Treatise of Meditation which by the assistance of God I have publish'd to which I refer the Reader CHAP. VIII The next impediment is putting off God with solemn duties ANother great impediment is that wee put off God with solemn duties as if wee set a part so much time to spend every day in meditations and prayer c. many think if they do not neglect them but are constant to their times and set duties all the rest of the day is their own to do as they please whereas the truth is our morning and other solemn duties the chief end of them is to set our hearts in tune that all our words thoughts may be such as may make sweet musick in the ears of God and wee must not think that as soon as wee have tun'd our Harps wee may hang them upon the Willowes It is true as I have elswhere said solemn duties are acts of communion with God for the present but especially helps for the communion with God for the future as when wee are at a feast wee finde relish and delight in the very act of eating but the main end of our eating is growth and strength one speaking of the solemn duties of morning prayer and of keeping communion with God by ejaculatory prayers all the rest of the day well observes that the want of the solemn morning prayer in case that some necessary work of charity do hinder us may bee supplied by some frequent ejaculatory prayers and frequent inward spiritual admirings and adorings of God but the want of these cannot be supplied by the other CHAP. IX The next impediment is carnally to think that God will be contented with any thing TO think that God will be contented with any thing and bee grudging every minute that wee spend in his service this proceeds from an erronious judgement and from a base heart Suppose it were so that God would bee content with any thing suppose God should not bee angry though thou should'st not pray to him or hear a Sermon or read a Chapter in the Bible any more than once a year but he should withall give thee leave to spend as much time in these duties as thou would'st I say if God would bee content would'st thou be content Dost thou do so in any other thing A friend in whose power it is to do thee a courtesie dost thou satisfie thy self in this that hee will not bee angry though thou dost not ask it of him If a great Monarch should bid you ask what you would of him would you therefore ask nothing because you were assur'd hee would not bee angry though you ask'd nothing Doth this make thee not to add to thy estate when thou hast got enough to live competently and comfortably because that God doth not command thee so to do but thou may'st justly think that hee is rather angry with thee for joyning house to house and being insatiable in thy desires Suppose God should give the spirits of just men made perfect leave to dwell on earth again and to give over their songs of joy and praise which they give unto him would they account it a priviledge would they not rather account it an argument of the abatement of Gods love and their happiness Suppose a Law should bee made that whosoever should kill their children should not bee punished would any loving Mother think that such a Law could bring any advantage unto her Nay suppose a Law should bee made for the rewarding of those Mothers that were careful for the good of their children would the reward promis'd in that Law heighten her love and care to her little ones So neither doth the promise of Gods pardoning of sin incourage the people of God to sin against him but they rather fear God and his goodnesse it argues neither love to God nor to thy self to put God off with any thing though hee would bee content with it it is a base slavish question to say what must I do and put the Emphasis in must a son and a friend say What may I do to please my father or my friend to cure this base distemper you must understand the excellency of the duties you perform do you know what it is to have communion with God to praise admire and adore him is the happiness of heaven 2. You must know the greatness of the rewards that God gives to them that serve him and that not one minute spent in his service nor one thought of love shall bee forgotten hee that numbers the hairs of thy head doth also keep an account of the smallest and slenderest performances in his service and will certainly reward them 3. Above all get the love of God for love thinks nothing enough our Saviours body was imbalmed with an hundred pound of spices and odours yet Mary Magdalen thinks hee had not enough shee brings hers also it is a question that love never puts What need I do so much but her saying is alwayes How may I do more If you should ask mee how you may get the love of God I answer that if it were not for our base corruptions I might rather ask you how you can chuse but love him Sometimes of a sudden it hath come into my minde that if one could but speak with the devil one might perswade him not to go about doing mischief damning soules as hee doth I know it is a vain thought for the Angel himself that disputed with him about the body of Moses was fain to refer him to the Lord to rebuke him and if the Angel could not perswade him to leave off his idolatrous attempt much less can wee It is true if men were not spiritually dead or mad it were