Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	dead_a	life_n	quicken_v	5,491	5	10.4511	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A16525	The holy exercise of fasting Described largely and plainly out of the word of God: with all the parts and causes, and seuerall kinds of the same: together with the most fit times, and conuenient seasons, when and how long it should be held: with the manifold fruite and commoditie that redoundeth to vs thereby: and the whole nature and order thereof. In certaine homilies or sermons, for the benefit of all those, that with care and conscience intend at any time publikely or priuately to put in practise the same. By Nicolas Bownde Doctor of diuinitie. Perused and allowed by publike authoritie.	Bownd, Nicholas, d. 1613.	1604 (1604)	STC 3438; ESTC S114771	132,330	360

haue seene before haue considered regarded this wrath of his to moue them thereunto not onely against themselues particularly but against others also of the same societie and fellowship of true religion that themselues were of through a mutuall feeling and compassion which they haue one of another as the liuely members of one and the same mysticall bodie whereof Christ Iesus is the head The wrath of God against other chur●hes haue mooued the god y to publike fasting Rom. 12.15 and which he quickeneth by one spirit according to the doctrine of Saint Paul Reioice with them that reioice and weepe with them that weepe bee of like affection one towards an other So that though they haue bene free from any token at all of Gods displeasure themseues yet when they haue seene it lie heauilie vppon the shoulders of their brethren they haue by fasting and praier put to their helping hand Gal. 6.2 and haue sought to remooue it that they might be eased so haue borne one anothers burden as the Apostle saith fulfilling therein the lawe of Christ As appeareth by the fast that was held at Antiochia Act. 13.2 which was taken in hande for the great miserie of the mother Church of Ierusalem rather then for any present calamity that was then in that citie For it is shewed in the Chapter chap. 13.1 going before that Herod the King raised a great persecution against that Church and stretched out his ●and to vexe it there and first he killed Iames the brother of Iohn with the sword and when he saw that it pleased the people hee proceeded further t● tak● ●●●ter also and when he had caug● him he put him in prison caused him to be bound with chaines and deliuered him to foure quaternions of soldiers to be kept and what he would haue done to him wee may easily coniecture if the Lord had not disappointed him as it followeth in that Chapter where is shewed how this cruell persecuting tyrant when he was in the middest of his pride and was cōtented to be saluted by his flatterers with the name of God saying the voice of God vers 22. and not of man then the Angell of the Lord smote him because he gaue not glorie vnto God so that he was eaten vp of wormes gaue vp the ghost Then presently the Euangelist maketh mention of this fast when Paul and Barnabas were returned from Ierusalem to Antiochia and as it is most like told them of all the troubles that were there and there is no mention of any speciall calamitie that was there but rather of Gods great blessings for there were many excellent men euen Prophets and teachers whereof some are named there so that it is manifest In which respect we haue cause t● do it for th● calamitie that is vpon our brethren that this fast was to intreat for the Church at Ierusalem Therefore though there were no euill at all vpon our selues vpon our owne persons or any that belong vnto vs or vpon our towne or any likelihood of any to come vpon vs yet this fearefull and great plague that is and hath bene a long time vpon our brethren in many places of this land vnited vnto vs in the profession of the same religion Gospel besides the same allegiance which we owe all vnto the same soueraigne King in manie places I say as in London Norwitch Yarmouth Cambridge and such like should mooue vs in compassion to succour them with our praiers as much as wee can and therefore to intreat the Lorde to remooue this heauie hand of his from them though we feele not the weight of it our selues so to fast publikely for these cities and townes as they of Antiochia did for them of Ierusalem Therefore no man must thinke that these publike fasts which we keepe by the commaundement of our gouernours doe concerne others and not themselues nor say We are all well heere God bee thanked what need we vexe and trouble our selues with anie such thing before we haue cause this order is appointed for such places where the plague is heere is none yet neither is any neere vs Gods name be blessed for it These are good wordes indeed and I pray God that they may so consider of the goodnesse of God towards vs indeed that wee may labour to be truely thankefull to him for the same But doth not the Apostle say ● Cor. 12. ●6 that in the naturall body by the verie instinct of nature if one member suffer and be pained That as in ●he naturall ●ody there is ● feeling of ●he paine of ●ther mem●ers so it may be in ●pirituall all suffer with it and haue the feeling of it And shall not we which are the bodie of Christ and members for our part as he saith in the same place by the inward working of Gods spirit be mooued with the aduersitie sickenesse paine and losse of our brethren but bee so hard-hearted and voide of all life of the spirit of God of all sence of feeling as dead and rotten members or rather cleane cut off from the bodie that we shal daily heare of many thousands of our brethren sisters in Christ to be in so great heauinesse and sorrow for themselues and for their friends and not to bee mooued with it and yet count our seules members of that bodie when wee shall haue little or no feeling at all of their estate That part of the bodie is dead that is without feeling not onely of it owne selfe but of the other members so we may wel thinke of our selues that we are cleane voide of that spirit of life that quickneth the whole body if in so great miserie of others we should be senselesse not moued with it Did not Nehemiah that woorthy seruant of God though he was in the Kings court and in office there and in great fauor with the King and all was well with him yet so sorrow for the miserie of his brethren in Ierusalem that he fasted and praied for them according as it is written of him Neh. 1.2 That there came Hanam one of his brethren vnto him and some other of the men of Iudah and hee asked them concerning the Iewes that were deliuered which were of the residue of the captiuitie and concerning Ierusalem they said vnto him the residue that are left of the captiuitie there in the prouince are in great affliction in reproch and the wall of Ierusalem is broken downe the gates thereof are burnt with fire when he heard those words As Nehemi●h beeing in ●reat prospe●itie mour●ed and fa●●ed for the ●iserie of ●is brethren hee sate downe and wept and mourned certaine daies and fasted and praied before the God of heauen for them which zealous and godly praier of his proceeding from the aboundance of his sorrowful heart is set downe there And this griefe of heart which hee conceaued for the affliction of others

they praied thus importunately it appeareth that in this great humilitie of theirs And by importunitie of praier the Lord will be ouercome declared by their fasting and maner of it they had great hope of obtaining their requests of God vnto whom they did sue And thus must we doe in the day of our fasting I saie we must labour for that measure of faith in gods goodnesse through the blessed merits of Christ our Sauiour that might mooue vs to pray earnestly and as it were to crie mightily vnto God for the remouing nowe at the last of this grieuous plague that though wee haue iustlie deserued it and a great deale more yet for the Lords sake it would please him vpon our true repentance and earnest seeking vnto him for mercie to turne it away Which if wee doe then he vndoubtedly will heare vs in his good time as hee hath witnessed vnto vs in the Gospell by the Parables both of the wicked Iudge Luk. 18.2 who by the importunity of the widow was ouercome at the last to doe her right and this was propounded as Christ himselfe faith to this end to teach men to pray often and not to waxe faint whereupon he inferreth this generall doctrine vers 6.7 Heare what the vnrighteous Iudge saith and shall not God auenge his elect which crie daie and night vnto him though hee suffered long for them So God will heare those that crie daie and night that is that praie earnestly and continuallie And againe in the other parable of the man that came to his friend at midnight to borrow three loues Luk. 11.5 who though he was vnwilling at the first yet because of his importunitie did arise gaue him as many as he would whereupon hee maketh this generall promise to al those that shal thus seeke vnto God that is earnestly and without ceasing that he will heare them saying Aske and it shal be giuen you seeke and yee shall finde knocke and it shall be opened vnto you for euerie one that asketh receaueth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened that is if yee seeke and aske after this maner So by these examples wee may be assured that God will heare vs for this thing if we pray vnto him eatnestly without ceasing though we haue hitherto seene little successe of our praiers for the plague is not only not taken away but is greatly increased euery where He often deferreth to giue that we might bee quickened vp to feruencie of prayer And truely the Lord doeth manie times deferre of purpose to grant that which we aske and which also he hath promised and is purposed to giue that we might be mooued in the feeling of our want to pray earnestly for it and that the want of it for a time might quicken vp our dead hearts and dull spirits vnto greater feruencie of prayer that also when we shall see that we haue such things giuen vnto vs and that wee haue obtained them by our prayer yea by long and earnest prayer wee might make the more account of them and esteeme them as we ought and also be so much the more thankefull vnto God for the same For the Lord indeed hath of his great mercie promised that if we call vpon him he will heare vs as we haue learned euen now out of the Gospell of S. Luke and may further learne out of many other places of Scripture besides as Psal 50.15 Call vpon me in the time of thy trouble and I will heare thee and deliuer thee and many other but he hath set downe no time when we shall see and perceiue that hee hath heard vs sauing that it is sayd I will heare thee in due time Psal 10.1 euen in affliction Nowe which is the most conuenient time for God to help vs in Act. 1.7 that we must not prescribe vnto him neither is it alwayes meet for vs to know the times or the seasons which the Father hath put in his own power therefore as they be best knowen to his heauenly Maiestie so wee must leaue the declaration of them to him alone not doubting but that he will heare vs in due time euen in affliction Hee doth deferre many times of purpose for good causes both that wee might be stirred vp thereby to pray to him earnestly and continually not doubting one whit of the trueth of his promises and that when we haue our requests granted we might esteeme of so great a benefit and be thankefull to him for the same For assuredly if wee did alwayes finde that the Lord did giue vs euery thing at the first asking though wee graunt that hee giueth vs continually more than we aske such is our vnthankefulnesse that both wee would come vnto him very coldly and pray drowsilie for wee would make it but an ordinarie matter Therefore if we continue in feruent prayer the Lord will heare vs at the last Aske haue and also wee would not so highlie esteeme of the things giuen vnto vs nor labor to be so thankfull to him for the same as our bounde duty did require Therfore concerning all other things and namely this present visitation of the Plague the more that the Lord deferreth to take it away the more earnest let vs be in prayer and let not the delay of it quench the heat of our desire one whit but kindle it more and more and I do assure you in the word of the Lord that if we faint not in praier but lift vp our hearts and hands still vnto the Throne of his Mercy that he will in time heare vs and shew mercie vnto vs and that he will not onely do so but he will make it manifest and apparant vnto the very soules and consciences of vs all This therefore is another most excellent vse and end of fasting The outward abstinence must quicken vs vp vnto feruencie of pra● euen to quicken vs vp vnto greater feruency in prayer for as we finde by experience when our bellies are full and we are in the abundance of all pleasures and outward blessings wee are not so fit for prayer and therefore a sober diet and a moderate vse of all other of Gods creatures and benefits will alwayes make vs the more fit for prayer but when the bodie is pinched with hunger and the want of other necessarie helpes meet for it the feeling of our want shall be a meanes to set a sharper edge vpon our prayers to make them more piercing and as it were to giue a wing vnto them to flie aloft aboue the clouds euen to make them enter into heauen and to come before the throne of God We ought then in these daies of abstinence thus to profit by the feeling of the want of our bodies so to iudge our selues vnwoorthy not onely of all that which wee abstaine from but of all other things besides yea of life it selfe that we thereby be mooued