Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	corruption_n	flesh_n	reap_v	5,289	5	10.9811	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26917	Directions for weak distempered Christians, to grow up to a confirmed state of grace with motives opening the lamentable effects of their weaknesses and distempers / by Richard Baxter.	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1669 (1669)	Wing B1249; ESTC R15683	216,321	412

Servants as Superiors in Gifts or Places or Inferiors or equals as Neighbors and companions In our Teaching and learning ruling and obeying buying and selling Be conscionable in all these which are your own Relations if you will live as Christians and be acceptable unto God An ungodly or oppressing Magistrate a murmuring rebellious Subject an ungodly negligent or factious Pastor an unteachable refractory ungodly Flock a Husband Parent or Master without Religion Love or Justice a Wife or Child or Servant without Love and dutiful obedience and faithful diligence a proud contemptuous Superior a malicious censorious inferiour an unjust uncharitable Neighbor a deceitful buyer or seller borrower or lender and a self-seeking friend and seducing unprofitable companion are all as far from pleasing God by the rest of their works or profession of Religion as they are from being obedient to his will They provoke him to abhor their Prayers and Profession and to tell them that he will rather have Obedience than Sacrifice If you are false to men you are not true to God It is he that feareth God and worketh Righteousness that is accepted of him and the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God DIRECT XVI Live as those that have all their powers receivings and opportunities to do Good with in the World and must be answerable how they have improved all And as those that believe that the more Good they do the more they do receive and the greater is the honour the profit and the pleasure of their lives TO do no harm is an honour which is common to a stone or a clod of Clay with the most innocent man If this were all the excellency that you aim at it were better that you had never been born for then you would certainly have done no harm Remember that to do good is the highest imitation of God supposing that it proceed from Holy Love and be done to the Pleasing and Glorifying of God that the Principle and the End be sutable to the work Remember who hath told you that it is more blessed to give than to receive Acts 20.35 And hath promised that He that receiveth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall receive a Prophets reward and he that receiveth a Righteous man in the name of a Righteous man shall receive a Righteous mans reward and whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a Cap of cold water only in the name of a Disciple verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward supposing that he have no better to give Matth. 10.41 42. Give to every man that asketh of thee according to thy ability Give and it shall be given to you Luke 6.30 38. and 12.33 Take that day or hour as lost in which you do no good directly or preparatorily And take that part of your estate as lost with which directly or remotely you do no good Remember how the Judgment must pass on you at last according to the improvement of your several Talents Matth. 25. When your time is past and your estates are gone or your understandings or your strength decayed and your power and greatness is levelled with the poorest it will be an unspeakable comfort to you if you are able to say We laid them out sincerely to our Masters use and an unspeakable terror to you to say They were lost and cast away on the service of the Flesh. If therefore you are Rulers and are entrusted with Power study how to do all the good with your Power that possibly you can If you are Ministers of Christ lay out your time and strength and parts in doing good to the Souls of all about you study how you may be most serviceable to the Church and Cause of Christ. If you are rich men study how to do all the good with your Riches that possibly you can do not violating the order appointed you by God In your Neighbourhoods and in all your Families and Relations study to do the greatest good you can Take it thankfully as a great mercy to your selves when opportunity to do good is offered you And content not your selves to do a little while you are able to do more Gal. 6.7 8 9 10. Be not deceived God is not mocked for whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap For he that soweth to his Flesh shall of the Flesh reap corruption but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap everlasting Life And let us not be weary in well-doing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not As we have therefore opportunity let us do good to all men especially unto them who are of the houshold of Faith 2 Cor. 9.6 He which soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly and he which soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully Every man according as he purposeth in his heart so let him give not grudgingly or of necessity for God loveth a chearful giver Heb. 13.16 To do good and to communicate forget not for with such Sacrifices God is well pleased Ephes. 3.10 For we are his Workmanship created in Christ Jesus to good works which God hath ordained that we should walk in them Let doing good be the business and imployment of your lives Preferring still the publick good before the private good of any and the good of mens Souls before that of the body But yet neglecting none but doing the lesser in order to the greater Object But I am a poor obscure person that have neither abilities of mind or body or estate and what good can I do Answ. There is no rational person that is not entrusted with One Talent at the least Matth. 25. and that is not in a capacity of doing good in the World if they have but hearts and be but willing If you had neither money to give nor tongues to speak for God and to provoke others to do good yet a Holy humble heavenly patient blameless life is a powerful means of doing good by shewing the excellency of Grace and convincing the Ungodly and stopping the mouths of the enemies of Piety and honouring the waies of God in the World Such a holy harmless exemplary life is a continual and a powerful Sermon And for giving if there be first a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not 2 Cor. 8.12 If you are unseignedly willing to give if you had it God taketh it as done What you would have given is set down on your account as given indeed The Widdows two mites were praised by Christ as a bountiful gift and a Cup of cold water is not unrewarded to the willing Soul No one therefore is excusable that liveth unprofitably in the World But yet men of Power and Parts and Wealth have the greatest reckoning to make Their ten Talents must have a proportionable improvement It is a great deal of good that they must do For to whomsoever much is given

to his spiritual ends Whether he eateth or drinketh or what ever he doth he doth all to the glory of God 1 Cor. 10.31 The posie engraven on his heart is the name of GOD with OF HIM and THROUGH HIM and TO HIM ARE ALL THINGS TO HIM BE GLORY FOR EVER AMEN Rom. 11.36 He liveth as a steward that useth not his own though yet he have a sufficient reward for his fidelity and he keepeth accounts both of his receivings and layings out and reckoneth all to be worse than lost which he findeth not expended on his Lords account For himself he asketh not that which is sweetest to the flesh but that which is fittest to his end and work And therefore desireth not Riches for himself but his daily bread and food convenient for him and having food and rayment is therewith content having taken godlyness for his gain he asketh not for superfluity nor any thing to consume it on his lusts nor to become provision for his flesh to satisfie the wills thereof But as a runner in his race desireth not any provisions which may hinder him and therefore forgetting the things which are behind the world which he hath turn'd his back upon he reacheth forth to the things which are before the crown of glory and presseth toward the mark for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus not turning an eye to any thing that would stop him in his course Thus while he is employed about things below his mind and conversation is heavenly and divine while all things are estimated and used purely for God and Heaven Luk. 16.1 2. 1 Pet. 4.10 Tit. 1.15 Prov. 30.8 1 Tim. 6.8 1 Tim. 6.6 Jam. 4.3 Rom. 13.14 Phil. 3.13 14 15. 2. But the weak Christian though he have all this in desire and be thus affected and resolved in the main and liveth to God in the scope and course of his life yet is too often looking aside and valuing the creature carnally for it self and oft-times useth it for the pleasing of the flesh and almost like a common man his house and land and friends and pleasures are relished too carnally as his own accommodations and though he walk not after the flesh but after the spirit yet he hath too much of the fleshly taste and is greatly out in his accounts with God and turneth many a thing from his masters use to the service of the flesh and though he be not as the slothfull wicked servant yet is it but little improvement that he maketh of his talent Mat. 25.17 26 27 28. 3. But the seeming Christian being carnal and selfish while his notions and professions are spiritual and divine and his selfish and fleshly interest being predominant it must needs follow that he estimateth all things principally as they respect his fleshly interest and useth them principally for his carnal self even when in the manner he seemeth to use them most religiously as I have said before And so to the defiled nothing is pure Rom. 8.5 6 7 8 13. Tit. 1.15 XXII 1. A Christian indeed hath a promptitude to obey and a ready compliance of his will to the will of God He hath not any great averseness and withdrawing and doth not the good which he doth with much backwardness and striving against it but as in a well ordered watch or clock the spring or poise do easily set all the wheels a going and the first wheel easily moveth the rest so is the will of a confirmed Christian presently moved as soon as he knoweth the will of God He stayeth not for other moving Reasons Gods will is his Reason This is the Habit of subjection and obedience which makes him say speak Lord for thy servant heareth and Lord what wouldst thou have me do And Teach me to do thy will O God Psal. 143.10 1 Sam. 3.10 Act. 9.6 I delight to do thy will O God yea thy Law is within my heart Psal. 40.8 The Law written in our heart is nothing else but the knowledge of Gods Laws with this Habit or promptitude to obey them the special fruit of the spirit of grace 2. But a weak Christian though he love Gods will and way and be sincerely obedient to him yet in many particulars where his corruption contradicteth hath a great deal of backwardness and striving of the flesh against the spirit and there needs many words and many considerations and vehement perswasions yea and sharp afflictions sometimes to bring him to obey and he is fain to drive on his backward heart and hath frequent use for the rod and spurr and therefore is more slow and uneven in his obedience Gal. 5.17 3. The seeming Christian is forward in those easie cheaper parts of duty which serve to delude his carnal heart and quiet him in a worldly life but he is so backward to through sincere obedience in the most flesh-displeasing parts of duty that he is never brought to it at all but either he will fit his opinions in religion to his will and will not believe them to be duties or else he will do something like them in a superficial formal way but the thing it self he will not do For he is more obedient to his carnal mind and lusts than he is to God Rom. 8.6 7. And forwarder much to sacrifice than obedience Eccl. 5.1 XXIII 1. A Christian indeed doth daily delight himself in God and findeth more solid content and pleasure in his commands and promises than in all this world His duties are sweet to him and his hopes are sweeter Religion is not a tiresome task to him The yoak of Christ is easie to him and his burthen light and his commandments are not grievous Psal. 37.4 1.2 40.8 94.19 119.16.35.47.70 Mat. 11.28 29. Joh. 5.3 That which others take as Physick for meer necessity against their wills he goeth to as a feast with appetite and delight He prayeth because he loveth to pray and he thinks and speaks of holy things because he loveth to do it And hence it is that he is so much in holy dutie and so unwearied because he loveth it and taketh pleasure in it As voluptuous persons are oft and long at their sports or merry company because they love them and take pleasure in them so are such Christians oft and long in holy exercises because their hearts are set upon them as their recreation and the way and means of their felicity If it be a delight to a studious man to read those books which most clearly open the abstrusest mysteries of the sciences or to converse with the most wise and learned men and if it be a delight to men to converse with their dearest friends or to hear from them and read their letters no marvel if it be a delight to a Christian indeed to read the Gospel mysteries of Love and to find there the promises of everlasting happiness and to see in the face of Jesus Christ the clearest Image of the