Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	day_n	lord_n	word_n	7,457	5	4.1658	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68977	The prodigals teares. With a heavenly new yeeres gift sent to the soule; contayning many most zealous and comfortable prayers, with deuout meditations: both worthie the acceptance of all Christians, and their expence of time to peruse. By H. G. preacher of the most sacred Word of God	Brathwaite, Richard, 1588?-1673.; Goodcole, Henry, 1568-1641.	1620 (1620)	STC 3580; ESTC S114442	53,955	283

and comfort you withall eate a morsell thereof and draw out your Wine for his sake that sent it and doe not refuse or dislike both for the meanenesse of the Messenger that brings now presents his Lords affected loue expressed to you therein If you accept thereof thankefully and gladly I shall returne my Master intelligence and thinke my paines well bestowed rest well satisfied and account my selfe most bountifully by you to be rewarded if my suit be graunted namely your kind acceptance therof from my vnworthy hands Thine at all times to bring thee to my Lord and Master Iesus Christ his Courts H. G. THE PRODIGALS Teares The Prodigals testimony of his conuersion manifested in the detestation of his former follies HEare O heare you that walk after the lusts of your hearts you that spend your time in vanitie deferring the time of Repentance from Infancie to youth and from youth to Age not caring to turne from you the euill day which draweth neere nor applying your hearts to wisedome but how to satisfie the inordinate lusts affections of the flesh you draw on sinne after sinne multiplying trāsgressions you are become a stiff-necked people hardning your hearts against the sweete and comfortable motions of Gods Spirite ready to awake you from this sleepe of sinne and to renewe in you that image which was well-neere defaced in you by meanes of your transgressions Heare the teares and attende the complaint of a conuerted peruert one that hath wandred too login the field of vanitie And now after the taste of those bitter huskes of penurie returnes home with blubbered face contrite heart and humbled spirit crying Peccaui I haue sinned I haue sinned walking in the foolishnes of mine owne heart and like the wilde Asse shifting the wind so haue I shut mine eares to the words of discipline and correction And what did the Prodigall in the Gospell which I did not He receiued his portion and consumed it and haue not I receyued the portion of Gods loue in as ample manner as any euen the portion of my heauenly Father which hee no sooner bestowed on me then I in the height of my heart wasted Nor did the prodigall goe further from his Father then I from the Instructions of my heauenly Father Departing from Bethel the house of God to Bethauen the house of iniquitie Oh miserable Exile From the mansions of peace concord and tranquillitie to the receptacles of sinne horrour and impietie From the smooth running streames of Syloe to the waters of bitternes from the tower of my strength to the vale of desolation Vnhappie exchange to depriue my selfe of so glorious inheritance so exquisite blessings so incomparable bounties for the vaine flourish of a little worldly delight which in the ende conuerted to bitternesse for a momentanie pleasure to forfeite an eternall Treasure not subiect to the change or mutability of Time nor exposed to the violence of any perturbations nor engaged to popular respect but in it selfe of it selfe perfectly refined deriuing her best luster from none other subject then the originall of all Beauties the Idaea of all perfections the mirrour of all lustres God himself And this to loose for any Earthly respect how much were the eies of my vnderstanding eclipsed to conceyue no better of an infinite goodnes then of a floting pleasure producing none other Fruite then bitternes anguish and sorrow And what remedie Esau could not regaine his Byrth-right with many teares And can my vnfayned repentance though I should blinde mine Eyes with weeping and groane in the heauines of my heart repossesse me of all that I haue lost Can the sighes of a troubled spirite and the extreame heauinesse which I sustaine by reason of the burden of my sinnes preuayle with the Lord who poyseth the sinnes of men and hath sworne in his wrath to be euenged of the wicked Yes Lord yes as I haue found grace and fauour in thy sight suffer mee to speake a word vnto thee be not displeased with me The Prodigals comfortable and vndoubted assurance that God will accept his teares and contrition relying and trusting in the mercies and promises of God REmember not my sinnes passed let thy mercies preuent them I am weakened and cleane out-worne and go mourning euery day I shall remember all my yeares vnto thee with bitternesse of heart I know Lord that Peter wept and was pardoned and shal I that knocke at the gate of thy mercie bee excluded Marie Magdalene had in her manie legions of Diuells yet with teares of vnfained repentance she was assoyled and made a Temple of the Holie-Ghost Behold Lord my teares are vnfayned my anguish of heart aboundant and my griefes bee not hid from thee Thou hast promised to looke to him that is poore that is broken in spirit and that trembleth at thy wordes Beholde Oh Lord I am poore depriued of thy fauour broken in spirite to haue offended so benigne a Sauiour and I tremble at thy words as at iudgements of terror worthily deseruing to be eternally thrust from thy presence and to haue my beeing with the reprobate Yet Lord wilt thou bee good vnto Israel thou wilt wash mee from my filthynes and cure my infirmities thou wilt binde vp my wounds with that good Samaritane powring the oyle of thy Diuine comforts into them For this Lord will I thanke thee and for this badge of thy loue will I sing praise vnto thee I will make melodie in my heart to the Lorde For it is a good thing to bee thankefull These teares which I shed shall witnes my contrition the prayses which I sing to thee shall expresse my affection and the speedie renewing of my wayes shall shew my conuersion The prodigals confession of the manner of his vanities with a feeling of Gods great goodnesse FAther I haue fed too long vppon the huskes of Vanitie I haue strayed too farre from thy Temple and walked in vnknowne wayes where I was famished for want of Spirituall foode all athirst for want of Spirituall drinke For the well was deepe and I had not wherwithall to draw but now since my returne I am replenished with all things thou hast put on me a new Garment so as I haue layde away all my olde affections and betaken me to a new spirituall Schoole Thou hast put vpon my finger a Ring to intimate that I am married and affianced to thee thou hast feasted me with thy choicest dainties expressing the ioy thou conceyuest at my conuersion I will stay therefore no longer in the Tents of Kedar nor with the inhabitants of M●loch I am now for my Fathers houshold for my Father hath many seruants and in my Fathers house there bee manie mansions I haue fedde too long with the Hogge eating Akornes vnder the Tree but neuer looking vp from whence they came When thy greatest benefits O Lord were multiplyed vppon mee and thy Fatherly kindnes was shewne in aboundance I was as one that had

not receiued or as one that had not tasted them For why the vanityes of the world had bewitched me and the deluding Objects of seeming happines had captiuated me But now Lord I am escaped the snare of the Fowler the Net is broken and my soule is deliuered or as a brand from the fire so haue I bin preuented by thy mercies The Prodigals bequest to God ANd what shall I giue vnto the Lord for all that hee hath giuen vnto mee Sacrifices and burnt-offerings thou wilt not haue but a contrite and broken hart O Lord thou wilt not despise My heart is prepared my heart is prepared I will giue thee what thou hast so long time asked And if thou say as thou sayedst vnto Dauid Giue mee thy heart I will answer with Dauid I will giue thee my heart It is thine O Lord it is thine for thou sufferedst thine owne heart to be pierced for it and should I then detaine it from thee that hast so dearely purchased it I will reserue it only for thee thou shalt make it thine owne Temple for the heart is the Temple of God To whom fitter may I bequeath my heart then to thee who hast giuen thy selfe for a ransome thy Spirit for a pledge thy word for a guide the world for a walke and reserues a kingdome for my inheritance To whom fitter then to thee that createdst mee after thine owne forme renewed it when I had defaced that forme illuminated mee with thy Spirit inuested mee with thy grace and ministreth whatsoeuer thou knowest to be necessary for the conseruation of Nature Who fitter then thou whose mercy preuenteth mee falling whose grace conducteth me walking and whose comforts raise me drowping I will therefore with vnfained repentannce returne to thee for I shall find fauour in thy fight My heart will I sacrifice vnto thee for more acceptable it is vnto thee then many burnt offerings I will not suffer it to stray from thee O Lord for I feare as Dina was defloured when she strained from home so my heart by gadding from thee her best home and surest Sanctuary may chance to be corrupted with the filthinesse of this world Shee hath many suiters and all hope to haue her Giue her mee sayeth the Tempter giue her mee saith riches giue her mee saith pleasure but none of these shall haue her for what is riches that I should set my minde vpon them or pleasure that I should giue my selfe ouer vnto her Haue I not tasted the vanitie of the one and the perill of the other For wherein can the Epicure glory or the sensuall man please himselfe hee hath tasted of pleasures in aboundance and slaued his best affections to vnworthiest obiects Hee hath drunke deepe of the Babylonian Cup exposed himselfe to the places of publique shame and made himselfe heire of beggary What delights were vpon Earth which this licentious man embraced not what consorts hee embraced not what meanes of spending houres and that without tediousnes he vsed not And is there any thing so vaine Behold his time is expired the period and date of his dayes extended and all his former delights like a vapour vanished And great is his account when it shall be demaunded of him Where is thy talent What aduantage hast thou made of it O quam amar a est ea voluptas c. saith a blessed father which ruines thy soule depriues thee of an inheritaunce driues thee from heauen presseth thee to hell and makes thee eternally wretched what fruits then of so many idle houres What comfort in the vaile of bitternesse or by the riuer wherein repent thou wouldest but no time is admitted weepe thou wouldst but teares are fruitles suffer thou wouldest but sufferings are effectlesse There is no ioy left which may any way solace thy poore forlorne spirit Being placed there where neither the Saints can come vnto thee or thou to the Saints O misery aboue miseries to loose and to loose that irrecouerably which should haue beene kept eternally instead of felicitie to gaine misery instead of comfort and spirituall consolation death ruine and perdition Shall then pleasures haue my heart that produce no better fruits then bitter repentance No no leaue me all delights and all outwardly-seeming comforts goe farre from mee You cannot content me for I am of a more incircumscribed nature Once I confesse were you too much possessed of my heart for my affections were deuoted my vnderstanding darkened and all my intellectuall powers and faculties so exposed to your seruice as I walked in darknesse and yet which was more miserable imagined that I was in light I was blind and knew it not in darknes perceiued it no naked and felt it not But the Lord hath giuen me sight that I may see his glory light that I may walke in his light and apparrelled me with the best ornaments of his diuine Spirit a defence against the inclemency of all seasons taking vppon me the whole spirituall armour of a Christian to discomfit Sathan subdue the flesh renew the spirit and confirme in me the power of the Almighty The Prodigall describeth how the things in this present world doe hinder man in his best deuotions seruice vnto God and his forsaking of them YEt honour with her ambitious and elated titles challengeth a part in me it is a fine thing to haue store of attendance to be great in the eye of the world to haue the chiefe place in Feasts to be admired c. once it is mortally dangerous and as the world goes of a thousand least meritorious Euer to be gaping with the fish and with a greedinesse to apprehend euery occasion lest while the water is in troubling the meanes of obtaining be cut off Deserts in precedencies of this kind least obserued where all Arts be oft-times exiled learning discountenanced and ignorance for a purple Magistrate honoured vt pueri Iunonis auem alas poore honour when merite seldome possesseth thee The Laconians would not haue honour hereditarie from the father to the sonne without the demerits of the sonne Alas then how many of Iuuenalls Blockes should we see represented vpon the Theatre of Honour Braue descents basely disparaged and prodigality without one prodigalls teare in greatest families Farewell then Honour thy name is onely worthy because onely men of name possesse thee thou art not a fit harbor for the poore Prodigall to lodge his heart in Yet riches be faire inducements and worthy a heart of gold True they are so but many Mammons haue them They build on a weake foundation they know how to enlarge their Barnes but not to communicate to the necessity of the Saints They can sing a Requiem to their soules with Now soule take thy ease but they remember not what the Prophet saith There is no rest to the vngodly Then must my heart plant my pauillion else-where for she would gladly haue a resting