Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	covenant_n	heart_n	new_a	6,959	5	6.8797	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A05342	A sermon preached before his Maiesty at Windsore, the 19. of Iuly. 1625. By Henrie Leslie, one of his Maiesties chaplaines in ordinary	Leslie, Henry, 1580-1661.	1625 (1625)	STC 15494; ESTC S108502	20,921	41

are the staires that lead vnto the chambers of death and the steps whereby the wicked doe descend into this pit of obduration But as S Austin saith in another case if the towne be on fire we should not be so curious to know how it came in as carefull to put it out Therefore in the last place let vs bethinke our selues of a salue for this soare Indeed it is a most dangerous desperate disease The stone in the heart is a great deale worse than the stone in the bladder for after hardnes commeth the heart that cannot repent Rom. 2.5 and without repentance there can be no saluation So that he who hardeneth his heart shill fall into euill Prov. 28.14 Eccles. 3.27 and as the Wis●man saith Cor durum habebit malè in navissimo It shal be in an ill case at the last day Therfore you see that as when God would shew mercy to a people he hath no more forcible meanes to expresse the same then to say I will take away the stonie heart so when he would take vengeance on any he hath no more grieuous way to doe it then by hardening of their hearts or giuing them vp to the hardnes of their hearts It is no maruell then that the Scripture doth so carefully dehort vs from this hardnes of heart and on the other part doth so earnestly recommend vnto vs the contrary to a hard heart Deut 10.16 Luc. 6.15 I●s 51.17 Isa 66.2 2. King 22.19 Ezech. 36.26 which is set forth in Scripture by sundry properties as that it is a circumcised contrite heart a good and honest heart a broken and contrite heart a relenting melting trembling heart a poore humble and obedient heart a tender heart a new heart sprinkled with the blood of Christ washed by his grace heated inflamed by his holy spirit In a word a heart of flesh or a soft heart that is soone checked controlled soone pierced soone made to bleed soon stirred vp to amendment Now that we may get such a heart these remedies are to be vsed which will be like a pretious balme to soften and supple our hearts 1. We must beware of frequent sinning and learne to make conscience of euery sinne since customable sinning is that which hardens the heart In the next place let vs labour after true ill mination for the hardnesse of our heart is from the blindnes of our mind vnlesse the mind be first inlightened the heart can neuer be softened After this we must lay our hearts open and naked to all admonitions threatnings exhortations of the word applying them to our owne conscience for that is the hammer that breaketh the stones it is the fire that melteth the hardest mettals it is the two edged sword that pierceth to the diuiding asunder of the soule and spirit This Recipe is prescribed by the Apostle a litle after exhort one another daily while it is called to day v. 13. lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sinne Fourchly we must often enter into a consideration of our own estates for we perish for want of consideration because we mind not what we doe or in what case we stand to Godward No man repented saith Ieremie but why No man said what haue I done but as th● horse rusheth into the battaile so they into their sinnes Therefore it behooueth vs to examine our wayes to erectan inquisitiō keep an audit in our hearts looking vpon our selues continually in the glasse of the Law and therein meditating often vpon the Iustice of God his greathatred against sin vpō the truth of God's threatnings vpon the last judgement and the fearefull torments prepared in hell for hard-hearted sinne●s And if thou thus strike the rock of thy heart with the rod of the Law riuers of Water will gush forth 5. But lest after that in the Law we haue seen our miserable desperate estate we should presently raue rage against the Lord we must labo●r with the sight of our sinnes to get a sight of Gods mercie reuealed in the Gospell The remembrance of his fathers house made the heart of the Prodigall to relent so will the consideration of Gods mercies towards vs worke vpon our hearts when once our hearts are inflamed with the sense of Gods loue towards vs oh then the working of our bowels the stirring of our affections the melting and relenting of our repenting hearts Sixtly let vs obserue duelie the judgements of God for all afflictions whether vpon our selues or vpon others should stirre vs vp and make vs looke about vs. The famine the sword the pestilence are Gods three Champions to fight his battails to revenge his quarrels but especially the Pestilence that is called Bellum Dei contra homines These three should be vnto vs as the three arrowes which Iona. than shot to forewarne Dauid of the Kings displeasure As Dauid vnderstood thereby that the King was angry and so got vp and made hast to be gone So may we by those darts that come from Heauen fall so neere vnto this place perceiue that the wrath of God is kindled against vs And therefore we shall doe well to get vp as Dauid did and make hast to flee from the face of an angry God whose wrath is a consuming fire hiding our selues in the holes of that rocke Christ Iesus who is a propitiation for our sins But this is not all to perceiue by Gods judgements that he is angry In the next place we shall doe well to looke backe into our selues and enquire what we haue done that hath prouoked the Lord to wrath for he neuer strikes without a cause ● Sam. 21.1 So Dauid when the famine was vpon the land consulted with the Lord and he found that it was for the bloud of the Gibeonites shed by Saul Yea so much deuotion we may learne from the Assyrians After the king of Ashur had sent into Samaria new Colonies from Babylon Cutha Ana Hamath and from Sepharuaim there came Lions and destroyed them And they rightly apprehended the cause of it to be for that they did not worship the God of the land but serued idols in that place which the Lord of hosts had sanctified for his owne worship Wherevpon the king gaue order that one of the Preists should be carried backe 2. King 17.24 c. to teach them the manner of the God of the land Belike they knew that the Arke of God Dagon wold not dwel vnderone roof So if we search into the cause that hath prouoked God to wrath we will finde such as this and many more in ourselues So the consideration of Gods judgements will bring vs to the sight of our sinnes which is a good meanes to make our hearts relent Seuenthly let vs bath our hearts in the hot bloud of Iesus for the consideration of his death and passiō is a most effectuall meanes to make our hearts relent and resolue into the teares of vnfained contrition for did Christ for our sinnes shed his heart bloud did our sinnes make him sweat water bloud should not we ourselues shed bitter teares should not our hearts bleed for them Did the vaile of the Temple rend and the stones cleaue asunder when Christ suffered shall not our stonie hearts breake for whom he suffered Did the earth moue and shall our earthly minds stand immoueable No no if we could be setled in this without doubt that we were the men that crucified Christ as guilty of his death as was Pilat Iudas or the Iewes that our sinnes were the nailes that boared his hands and his seete and the speare which pierced his side and the thornes that pricked his head If I say this meditation could take place in our hearts bitternes of spirit with wailing and mourning should take place in like manner Thus Peter in his sermon Act. 2. strooke the Iewes as with a thunderclap from Heauen when he told them that they had crucified the Lord of glory so that 3000 of them were pricked in their hearts Act. 2.37 and cried Men and brethren what shall we doe Euen so if we be of the number of those vpon whom God hath promised to powre forth his spirit in the last dayes We shall looke vpon him whom we haue pierced and we shall lament for him as one mourneth for his onely son Zach. 12.10 Finally because a soft heart is the gift of God let vs haue recourse vnto him by earnest and frequēt prayer beseeching him of his fatherly goodnes that according to his promises in the new couenant he would take away this stonie heart from vs and giue vs a heart of flesh which may receiue the stampe of his word be pliable to the operation of his blessed spirit and tremble at his iudgements And vnto prayer we must sometimes adde fasting which is like scouring now thē to be joyned with ordinary washing When destruction was threatened against Niniveh the King proclaimed a solemne fast so hath our religious King done at this time Not as the king of Niniveh For that king did proclaime the fast vpon the warning of a Prophet but he himselfe gaue warning to the Prophets and like the good Kings of Iuda we haue seene him goe before the Priests in the zeale of Gods seruice I will not forestall the market but reserue the worke of the day for the day it selfe Onely giue me leaue to blow the trumpet in Sion for sanctifying of this fast and to ring a peale this day before giuing you warning that if ye will heare his voice meete the Lord by repentance in that day of humiliation yee must not harden your hearts AMEN