Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A60349
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Poems in two parts first, an interlocutory discourse concerning the creation, fall, and recovery of man : secondly, a dialogue between faith and a doubting soul / by Samuel Slater.
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Slater, Samuel, d. 1704.
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1679
(1679)
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Wing S3967; ESTC R37559
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53,199
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130
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and defie all fear Shake off these causeless dumps arise and shine The victory is Christs th' advantage thine SOVL. What mine canst prove it thou tak'st all on trust And so maist be deceived try I must And look and search examine and enquire Ask question after question Yet no higher Can I attain than to faint hopes which cost A thousand thousand labours but are lost In twinkling of an eye I cannot rest Nor lasting peace enjoy When things are best I am disturb'd my sleep scarce lasts an hour And when I ' wake again Lord what a pow'r Of sad perplexing thoughts assault my mind That I conclude both Heav'n and Earth combin'd To make me miserable Faith speak out Hast thou more cause of joy or I of doubt FAITH Thou bid'st me speak and yet deny'st to hear When I unlock my lips thou bolts thine ear There are such sobs and sighs bitter bewailings Such weeping wringing hands such loud complainings That all my labour 's lost Alas my skill In vain is tri'd for out of meer self-will Thou spillest all my Cordials and wilt none Of my choice Heaven-born comforts no not one Yet since I know thy sickness know I do Both pity it and long to cure it too We 'l argue things once more for I don't dread Thy reas'nings nor the crafty Serpents head My cause is good my blessed Seconds are Though thou think'st otherwise without compare Enter the lists then yet the Judg shall be Not sense nor carnal reason much less he That 's stil'd God of this world these neither can Nor will speak comfort to poor humbled man The Scripture I make choice of for it is Divine impartial cannot judg amiss Thou canst not quarrel it and therefore say Say on dejected Soul I 'le yield the day To Fears if Scriptures do Objections raise Thou shalt have answer and thy God the praise Doubt 1. From the apprehension of Gods Holiness SOVL. Trembling takes hold upon me when I see A God above of spotless puritie The Seraphims his glory do proclaim And it admire most holy is his name The garnisht Heavens are unclean in 's sight The noon-day Sun is darkned by his light His eyes are flames of fire piercing and pure Which can't the least iniquity endure But I am full of sin all over stains From top to toe is nought but boils and blains My head heart life with sin are over run Sin I did chuse by sin I am undone FAITH Yet there is hope a ruin'd Bankrupt may Set up again the night gives place to day Adam his beauty lost and by one sin Defac'd the image God had made him in The Nazarite became an Ethiope And in himself had neither help nor hope Yet found both in another God prepar'd More lasting beauty for him and repair'd His Image on him and the sinner then Washt from his filth waxt fresh and fair agen This may be done for thee the fountain still Stands open for all comers whoso will May go and bathe his sooty soul and so Come sorth a Creature new and white as snow Thy God is holy so is Christ and he Hath Grace sufficient for himself and thee Thy wound is not incurable thy sore He can so heal that it shall run no more Thy Maker can O soul form thee anew Thy holy God can make thee holy too Nay more by Covenant he 's bound t' impart To his a spirit right and a new heart Go to him then his faithful promise plead And so he will richly supply thy need Doubt 2. From Gods Iustice. SOVL. But God is just and will not see his Law Broken without revenge I stand in awe And dread his iron-rod Doth he not say The soul that sins shall die ah who then may Once hope for life since we are sinners all And lost our righteousness in Adam's fall Behold me cloth'd with rags once but one story Lower than Angels who are cloth'd with glory These rags are filthy too and so the shame Which they should cover they to all proclaim I do condemn my self though self I love What favour then can I expect above The Law hath past its sentence it doth crie All men are sinners and as such shall die My guilt is great my God is just who can Satisfie justice and clear guilty man FAITH I have a Friend will do 't Did I say will Pardon dear Jesus Oh how I do fill With joy since I can say he hath it done And God is pleas'd with thee in Christ his Son Thy debt was great empty thy purse that friend Became thy surety and did put an end To the Law-suit by saying he would pay What thou wast charged with upon the day Justice should set and when that day came he Paid to a farthing and discharged thee The sum was great but his far greater love Bogled not at it nor did he once remove From his resolved kindness but hath given What did redeem lost earth purchase Heaven He laid his life down his heart-blood he gave That sparing thy blood he thy life might save What more can Justice ask surely if I Be once arrested I 'le plead Christ did die If God be not appeas'd with death of God I will for ever bear his flaming rod. Besides I spi'd white linnen in his grave And soon concluded that I this must have Christ saw me naked and then did provide A perfect Robe my nakedness to hide What more is lacking let strict Justice see My Saviour saith there is no spot in me Doubt 3. From the comparatively small number of Redeemed Ones SOVL. I grant there is in Christ sufficient merit To purchase Heaven and make his inherit Those peaceful blissful mansions where he Crowns all their hopes with full felicity His blood can make the blackest Blackmoor white And loathsome sinners lovely in Gods sight Of his Almighty power doubt who can I do believe him God as well as man But what of that I hear the number 's small For which he died Had he dy'd for all I might have fill'd with comfort But alas A little part of this corrupted mass Was chosen out for honourable use Vessels of glory whom the Lord did chuse For his Coelestial Temple the rest will As worthless silver be rejected still My reason tells me if he would not crie And pray for all for all he would not die I fear of his dear little Flock I 'm none Others may saved be and I undone FAITH Be it acknowledged that few there are Whom Christ redeem'd shall in his merits share He saves not all the world dy'd not for all Did not alike affect Iudas and Paul Grant that yet do not sink the door is ope To all that will come 't is a door of hope Christ dy'd for sinners why then not for thee Either give reason or believe with me Gods Decrees secret are and who can read His everlasting purpose Nay what need Of climbing Heaven curiously to look Whether thy name be
abound Not that this holy firmness doth proceed Or spring from natures power in Abra'ms seed Or from the grace in them that 's but a creature And might be master'd soon were not a greater rout And alsufficient strength by God put out Which doth maintain their ground prevent their Even Peters faith had fail'd had not Christ pray'd And also secretly afforded aid Saints eminent if God withdraw his hand For one poor moment from them cannot stand Should he with-hold his influence they die Should he leave them they soon would him deny Angels themselves would fall but that they be By grace confirm'd in their felicitie Much more would Adam's seed who have within Back-sliding principles and seeds of sin They soon would God forsake and soon undo The Cov'nant made to love and serve him too The root they do not bear the root bears them They are both holy Saints and sinning men Undone thou soon wouldst be if God should take Away his Spirit and thy soul forsake By thine own strength O man thou dost not stand But thy dear Father is at thy right hand Holding thee up and he will carry thee In arms of love to blest eternitie Thy Cistern leaks but it shall not be dry Because the upper springs will send supply Dangers and clouds shall vanish God shall be An everlasting Sun and shield to thee Consider in how much thou Christ hast stood Not one whit less than his most precious blood For thee his Head with thorns was crown'd his side Was pierc'd for thee he sweat he bled he di'd And will he cast away a soul that cost So great a price as this shall that be lost Which he prefer'd before his life no he Will be his purchas'd Saints securitie His own thou art with thee he will not part Who once didst cost his blood still hast his heart Thou art a member of his body one Part of his fulness and he 'l part with none Of them or that but will them save and love Christ will not be a maimed Christ above Nay more he stands oblig'd His Father gave A people to him that he might them save He is accountable for every one Must raise them all at last day losing none Yea and in such a state he must them raise As they may be unto his name a praise Now in pursuance of his Father's will He that hath always kept will keep thee still And therefore he hath promis'd to impart His fear unto thee and write in thine heart His sacred law that though thou mai'st be tri'd With fierce assaults none of thy steps may slide He in himself hath laid up all thy store And if thou little hast he 'l give thee more Adam thy father had a pow'r to stand Which pow'r was wholly plac'd in his own hand But he did quickly lose the stock that was Committed to him hence Christ will not pass All thine estate to thee at once lest thou Run out of all and prove a beggar too Himself thy fulness is and therefore sure He being rich thou never shalt be poor So poor as to depend thou still shalt be But never know undoing povertie Eden was once indeed fill'd with more grace Or rather holiness yet that sweet place Was never so secure as is thy Ark Thy floating little cock-boat now for mark God is its skilful Pilot constant stay Who by his spirit steereth night and day Its course upholding strengthening thee likewise When tempests rage threatning waves arise Thus chear thy self when thou dost fear to fall Remembring God will be thine all in all Thy rock and refuge thy treasure and guard Who keepeth for thee constant watch and ward His eye doth neither slumber nor once-sleep He keepeth Israel and thee doth keep He is no land of darkness barren heath His everlasting arms are underneath He knows full well when ought would thee annoy Will always be thy comfort and thy joy Do thou thy duty and then know that God Will with his staff support thee with his rod Will guide thy steps until at last thou be Above a sinning possibility Doubt 11. From Satans Temptations SOVL. If God my keeper were I should not doubt My spiritual safety nor my holding out Mine enemies should fall and I should be At peace because in full securitie Iachin and Boaz I 'd my pillars call Did God make his Salvation my wall The Lion should not rend nor Serpent bite Because he watcheth his both day and night But sure the Lord hath left me for I feel The Serpent always nibling at my heel I now am walking in a wilderness Where Lion's always roaring more or less Hardly a day doth pass nay scarce an hour But Satan doth assault me with his power With utmost rage the mighty gates of Hell Assault and storm my crazie Cittadel And how is 't possible poor I should be An equal match for such an enemie What may a worm do what resistance can Be made by foolish weak and naked man Alas I quake and tremble every hour Expecting when he will my soul devour Now he doth play with me and my fears feed His mirth me at his pleasure he can lead An helpless captive hurrying me to sin He can me post to th' torments he is in Great is his strength and numberless his wiles Many his famous conquests trophies spoils Run through the world sinners Saints compare You 'l see the greatest part falls to his share Here he hath spread a net there set a gin Thousands of thousands are intrapt therein Of men the most he orders at his pleasure His sport he makes them when he 's most at leisure He knows and is assur'd they are his own If but a bait be laid the work is done They 'r caught his hook sticks and they caanot free Themselves from sin nor him nor misery Lord of this world he is whom they adore Fear him they do and yet they love him more Nay he 'l encounter any he fears none But counts himself a match for ev'ry one Those that are built on the eternal rock And stand immovable have felt his shock Experience tells us that those Saints who be Strongest in grace are not temptation free Adam in Paradise though perfect and Armed with strength sufficient to withstand All foreign force and bravely keep the field Was set upon and set upon did yield So did this subtle enemy undo A world of men in one man at a blow That first attempt succeeded to his heart Since he is grown a master in the Art Of tempting at the first he had his will Six thousand years have much increas'd his skill That victory did flesh him ever since He is courag'ous bids fear get it hence He set on David Ioshua the Priest When in Gods presence found he had not ceast From troubling Saints Although Iob did outshine All men on earth that lived in his time He could not be at quiet This foul Fiend Desir'd on him his