Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	death_n	life_n	spiritual_a	5,356	5	6.8798	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A86017	A sermon preached (before God, and from him) to the Honourable House of Commons. At a publike fast, Novemb. 27. in the yeare GoD Is oVr refVge, oVr strength; a heLpe In troVbLes VerIe aboVnDant VVe finDe. By George Gipps rector of Elston in Leicester-shire, one of the Assembly of Divines. Published by order of the said House.	Gipps, George, d. 1654.	1644 (1644)	Wing G779; Thomason E23_3; ESTC R18994	29,030	37

as much as they are but severall descants yea and discords upon our text although thus struck into musicall harmony I shall rather containe my selfe within the plain song thereof held forth unto you in these three following Propositions First A three-fold Proposition That it is the Portion of Gods Church and Children to finde in and through this life very present yea too too present great and aboundant troubles for them to wade thorough Second That it is the wisdome of Gods Church and Children to make God their hope refuge and shelter in all these troubles Third That it is the comfort of Gods Church and Children that so doing they shall find God a very present yea too too present great and aboundant helpe in all these troubles Thus we have passed from our first Branch of our Method propounded namely the Explication of the sense of the words unto the second branch thereof the Observations doctrinall which in their method we proceed to handle with their Use and Application Only to save multiplyed labour these three points being so in nature linked together that very many Texts of Scripture doe prove them all joyntly we will premise those Scripture proofes and referre you thereto in the severall and distinct handling of the points Thus Psal 18. generally throughout particularly ver 4. The sorrowes of death compassed me the flouds of ungodly men made me afraid so ver 5. there is the first point Ver. 2. My God my rocke my fortresse my strength my buckler my high tower in whom I will trust there is the second point ver 2. my deliverer ver 3. l will call upon the Lord so shall I be saved from mine enemies ver 48. He delivereth me from mine enemies c. there is the third point So Psal 34. 19. Many are the afflictions of the Righteous the first point but the Lord delivereth him out of all the third point v. 22. None that trust in him shall be desolate the second and third point joyntly so inweaved into all the Psalm So frequently elsewhere we shall occasionally overtake them in our following discourse wherefore enter we upon our first Proposition That it is the Portion of Gods Church and Children to find in this life very yea too too present great and aboundant troubles The first Proposition The ratifying of which truth shall be first in a briefe enumeration of these troubles Secondly in deducing thence Conclusions For the first The troubles in this life are either Temporall or Spirituall Temporall are either respecting temporall life it selfe death with paines and sicknesse tending thereto or respecting the Accommodations thereof as poverty and so want of convenient meat drinke cloathing and dwelling also infamy and so scorne disgrace contempt slander to choise spirits this most seazeth on the braine Spirituall troubles are the body of imbred concupiscence that snake in our bosome thence fowle temptations to actuall sinnes too much prevailing sometimes to gross scandall thence often spirituall desertions God writing bitter things against us and giving us up to Satans buffettings More and farre more accurately might we reckon them but this will suffice to inferre hence Our following Conclusions 2. 4. Conclusions which are these foure First All these evils are common to all Adams off-spring both godly and wicked alike in this life Eccles 9. 1. None knoweth love or hatred by all that is before them ver 2. All commeth alike to all to the righteous and to the wicked v. 3. One event is unto all Iob 5. 6 7 proves both the first the second Conclusion in that it is said born not created thereto This deluge brake in by our tall Secondly this common condition did not flow from our creation by Gods soveraigne right of dominion but is an act of Gods justice upon Adams fall Gods punishment upon all his posterity whereby the whole world of creatures is cursed unto them as Gen. 3. appeares the execution of that doome Gen. 2. In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die Thirdly yet in the upshot thereof shall be a vast difference between the Godly and wicked even as vast as there is a distance betweene the highest Heaven and the lowest hell Matt. 25. 32. separate them as the goates and sheep with a Come ye blessed v. 34. v. 41. Depart yecursed v. 46. and the righteous shall goe into life eternall and the wicked into everlasting punishment Fourthly In the interim the one and the other doe quite contrarily entertain and improve these troubles For first the ungodlies great trouble is their temporall evils so as in compare thereof they are insensible of spirituall ones except such as disquiet their temporall injoyments The godly are quite contrary herein For secondly whereas the ungodly would never be weary of sin even though wearied in sin but covet to be able to sin infinitely and rejoyce in life it selfe with all the accommodations thereof only so farre as they inable them to glat themselves with their lusts though there be how much more if there were not an internall hell of Conscience and infernall hell of torments to follow the godly steeme a sinning condition to be the most hellish condition and perfect holiness they esteeme the top-branch of their eternall happinesse And thirdly whereas the wicked could be contented never to see God face and enjoy his favour in Heaven so that they might never find his frowne and feele his wrath in hell the righteous on the contrary acknowledge Gods favour better then life it selfe in whose presence is fulnesse of joy and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore Let this suffice for the Doctrinall part of this first Proposition Vse 1 the first use whereof is for satisfaction of that querulous query why God will be so harsh to his owne children as the doctrine doth hould forth The answer to which is two-fold First that he seemeth so in putting them into a common condition with others in the kindes of their sufferings but truly is not so through the vast difference not only in the close but in carrying them along throughout all their sufferings All doth co-work for their spirituall and eternall good as hath in part and will occasionally be more fully specified A second further answer is that this Gods providence suiteth best with his most wise dispensation thus First did the Godly wholy escape and the wicked only suffer troubles this would make such multitudes of mercinarie formall Christians that sincerity would not be discerned nor valued whereas seeing that we must through many tribulations enter into the kingdome of heaven it so slaveth off hypocrites that it is a notable tryall to sincerity it selfe Satan thought it little to Iobs commendations Iob. 1. 9. that he served God whilst that God had made an hedge about him but thought that afflictions would have staggered and shattered his faith though that Iob confuteth him therein which was a great foyle to Satan Many can

build castles in the aire by creating new troubles to our selves in our distracting feares and jealousies Ps 62. 5 6 7 8. a remarkable text 4. Trust in God perpetually unto and in death it selfe this is proper to the beleever who hath hope in death when as all the worldlings hopes doe perish This made the bloud of the Martyrs such seed to the Church Sanguis martyrum semen ecclesiae that whilst that they who obeyed not the word were wonne without the word vvhilst they beheld the Martyrs resolution coupled with feare of God and so devoid of feare of death this convinced them of a more glorious estate after death and did dispose them to instruction and so occasioned their saving conversion in the interim they rest in perfect blisse free from sinne and sorrow expecting a glorious resurrection and in this regard also likened in Scripture to seed 1 Cor. 15. Isa 26. 4. Trust in the Lord Jehovah for ever for in him is everlasting strength Job 13. 15. Though he kill me yet will I trust in him Let this suffice for the second Proposition Proposition 3 and so passe we unto the third and last The Doctrine is That it is the comfort of Gods Church and children so trusting in him that they shall find God a very yea too too present strong and aboundant helpe in all their troubles whatsoever The proofe and improvement whereof hath in part bin made good in the second point in recompence whereof this third will doe as much for the second point this being the prime demonstrative argument for it as we then shewed so nigh of kin are these two The clearing of this point by Scripture proofe is as the former referred to those generall premised texts For farther clearing hereof I shall first gather up the graduall arguments in our text thus 1. God is our hope refuge and shelter that is our hope makes us sly to him for shelter I so doe many and find small comfort miserable comforters as Iob found his three friends weake props As some in a storme hasten to a tree which so pelteth them with droppings that they leave it and rather expose themselves to the weather Therfore secondly our text addeth And strength that is alsufficient to protect them who make him their shelter I so are many men more able then willing to help as Dives was to relieve Lazarus 3. Therefore our Text addeth a helpe we shall finde him ready and willing I happily in some few small troubles without much cost or trouble Lastly therefore our Text saith in very great and aboundant troubles though we find them too too great and aboundant yet will he beare us through and out of them all So that nothing is desirable in this point in which our Text holdeth not forth comfort It were easie from Scripture to shew you experiments in all particulars which your own observation may supply both in temporall and spirituall troubles as our first point branched them forth but I choose rather to remoove a cavill which maketh battery against this truth the removall whereof will much settle the same Thus Obj. Experience telleth us whatever you say that the godly aer overborne with troubles and sinke and perish under them I shall give you a seven fold answer hereto Answ 1. Know that this third doth not enterfeer vvith the first Proposition That the troubles that befall in this life are common to godly and wicked men and that the godly may die under the pressures thereof death being the period and closure of this life Mat. 10. 17. Christ forewarneth thereby to fore-arme us herein And then again know that the first doth not trip up the heels of this third Proposition but that neverthelesse God is our help in and out of them all Answ 2 A second answer is that to uphold the harmony of these tvvo truths and to contain each of them vvithin its bounds we must give a double distinction the former betweene temporall troubles respecting our naturall life and spirituall troubles respecting our supernaturall life the latter distinction is between the matter and the manner of both these kind of troubles The matter is the kind of troubles which we suffer as sicknesse hunger thirst nakednesse death Satans tentations c. the manner is Gods respect unto man troubled and mans respect back again to God both for ground and end why and degrees how fare God orders that they be so troubled According to which distinctions we settle the point in a four fold conclusion First Conclus 1 that however temporall troubles are for matter alike both to Godly and wicked yet for manner they are sanctified to the Godly and not to the wicked The Godly own God the Authour thereof justifie Gods Providence therein arme themselves to beare them as a Fathers chastisements weane themselves from the love of this world that is full of them hate and mortifie sin as the cause of them labour for holinesse as that which destroyeth sin and fitteth them for dissolution and for a better life with longing desire they wait and look for the same And all this makes them more and more to hope in and fly to God for helpe and from hence they learne with David to say Psal 119. 67. Before I was afflicted I went astray but now have I kept thy Word ver 75. Thy judgements are right thou of very faithfulnesse hast caused me to be troubled In all which temporall troubles the delivery is conditionall not absolute namely when how and how farre Gods wisedome seeth best for his glory and his Childrens good A second Conclusion is that the spirituall trouble of sin however it seeme alike in godly and wicked for matter yet for manner it differeth very much The Godly sin of infirmity not of presumption their sins are sudden surprisals and incroachments not contrived before bewailed not boasted in afterward yea and with conflict in the acting them they are captived to them not willingly serving them they be not raigning sinnes in them and therefore not unto death In all which it is generally quite contrary with the wicked and that because these are all flesh and so sinne findeth no opposition in them those consist of flesh and Spirit Gal. 5. 17. which as contraries are in continuall combate Hence the Godly cannot totally or finally sinke under sin because the Spirit cannot be subdued to and conquered by the flesh 1 Joh. 4. 4. Ye are of God little children and have overcome them because greater is he that is in you then he that is in the world A third Conclusion is that for distresse of Conscience leading to despaire however God suffer his children to be shrewdly buffetted by Satan for triall and chastisement yet in as much as despaire is a grievous sinne it cannot totally or finally prevaile over them but they shall recover and Gods grace shall be sufficient for them The fourth and last Conclusion is that however it be with