Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	deed_n	flesh_n	mortify_v	5,880	5	10.8136	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64956	The conversion of the soul, or, A discourse explaining the nature of that conversion which is sincere and directing and perswading all to cease their loving sin and death, and to turn to God and live / by Nathanael Vincent ...	Vincent, Nathanael, 1639?-1697.; White, Robert, 1645-1703.	1688 (1688)	Wing V403; ESTC R38014	195,915	409

Temptations The Convert is afraid of the very first risings of Sin for Sin is an Enemy and if once this Enemy be risen really it may much disturb the Peace and give many a painful blow before it is quell'd again The Convert is afraid of Sins conceiving least being conceived it should be finished and at last bring forth Death Jam. 1. 15. The Convert flies from great Sins and won't connive at small ones The Converted Soul is afraid of known and presumptuous Transgressions and it is jealous least any should pass unknown and be harboured unsuspected therefore the Convert Prayes with David Psal 19. 12. VVho can understand his Errors Cleanse thou me from secret Sins The Convert is so afraid of Sin that he will venture upon other evils rather than upon Sin he will venture upon Poverty he will venture upon a Prison he will venture upon Flames of Martyrdom rather than venture upon Sin. Moses was so afraid of Sin though it was attended with the Pleasures and Preferments of Egypt that he did preferr the enduring of Afflictions with the People of God before it Heb. 11. 25. 3. The Converted Soul hates and abhorrs Sin I wish there was no other hatred in the World but the hatred of Sin here the most fixed and settled hatred would be very commendable Hatred is an Affection that doth aim at the destruction of the thing hated he that hateth his Brother in Scripture is said to be a Murderer and he that hateth Sin nothing short of the death of Sin will satisfie him It is the Converts business from the day of his Conversion unto the hour of his Dissolution still to be killing and mortifying of Sin and he doth endeavour to advance in doing of this work daily he labours and strives to kill Pride Covetousness Concupisence and Sensuality more dead and being sensible that Sin is much above his Match to deal with he calls in the help of the Spirit of God that the more effectually he may mortifie the Works of the Flesh Rom. 8. 13. For if ye live after the flesh ye shall dye but if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live 4. Sin is the Converted Souls shame Israel that refused to turn they are charged with Impudence and hardness of Heart Ezek. 3. 7. They will not hearken unto thee O son of Man saith God for they will not hearken unto me for all the house of Israel are impudent and hard-hearted So Jer. 8. 12. VVere they ashamed when they had committed abomination No they were not at all ashamed neither could they blush But now Converts are ashamed of Sin they are confounded before God because they have so much and so inexcusably offended Heark to Ephraim Converted Ephraim Jer. 31. 19. Surely after I was turned I repented after I was instructed I smote upon my thigh I was ashamed yea even confounded because I did bear the reproach of my youth This Shame in those that are Converts is of great Vse for it makes them to lye low before God it makes them in honour to prefer others before themselves The chief of Sinners saith the Apostle being ashamed because he Persecuted the Saints and less than the least of all Saints And it makes Converts to admire the rich and the Free Grace of God in advancing them to such a dignity as to become the Children of God who did so justly deserve everlasting Contempt and Ruine 7. When the Soul is Converted those Affections that have good for their Object are placed upon God who is the highest and chiefest good of all Doers of evil have not seen God 3 John 11. He that doth good is of God he that doth evil hath not seen God. The Unconverted Sinner either saith in his Heart there is no God or if there be one the Creatures are better and more desirable than he This is the Language of every Unconverted Sinners Heart But the Converted Soul hath seen God and hath seen that in God that he loves God best and still desires to love him better How strong are his desires after God and when he is pleased to manifest his Love to communicate his Grace with a liberal hand now the Soul hath the greatest Joy and Delight on Earth The Converts Hope is in God his expectation of help is from him and his hope of Happiness is in him he is Zealous for the Glory of God and he is Zealous of those Works that are good in his sight and whatever a Convert sees that hath the Image and Stamp of God upon it that thing is loved for Gods sake 8. When the Soul is Converted the Memory is put to good and holy Vses before it was like a den of Thieves like a Cage full of unclean and hateful Birds but now the Memory is a Treasury where the best things are laid up safest Here I shall tell you of four things that the Convert doth remember 1. The Convert remembers his Creator and indeed no New Creature doth forget him he remembers his Duty towards him and the obligations and encouragements unto a faithful Performance of it Wicked Men forget God trifles they can think of but God is not in all their thoughts Jer 2. 32. Can a Maid forget her Ornaments or a Bride her Attire yet ye have forgot me days without number Those that by Profession are my People and yet really are estranged from me they have forgotten me days without number but the Convert remembers God and desires to be in his Love and Fear all his days 2. The Convert remembers the Redeemer and his death The benefits that were purchased by so great a price and how the work of Redemption was compleat when Christ rose from the dead A special memento is put upon the Resurrection of Christ 2 Tim. 2. 8. Remember that Jesus Christ of the Seed of David was raised from the dead according to my Gospel 3. The Convert remembers the VVord and that effectually and seasonably he remembers it so as that he is cast into the mould of it His heart doth stand in a we of the Oracles of God and they are an excellent preservative against temptation Psal 119. 11. Thy VVord have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee Joseph he did seasonably and effectually remember that command Thou shalt not commit Adultery When he had that impure and immodest motion made by a Creature that forgot the presence of God and her own Duty and though he was a servant and though he was a young Man and an uamarried Man yet he was so far from complying with the temptation that he reproves the concupisence and ventures upon the revenge of his impure Mistriss 4. Lastly The Convert remembers his latter end and the judgment that will follow after O Brethren methinks I see my self and all you holding up our hands at the Bar of God. As sure as you are here so certainly you shall stand there The

for the prize of the high calling of God. Here is an allusion to them that run in a race who do not look back to see how much they have already run but still look and run forward that they may not miss the prize Things behind may take in earthly things which the Apostle had totally cast behind his back so as never principally to regard them any more Things behind may also take in his past obedience which he does not consider and remember so as to rest in it and leave off running and labouring And as the Word requires us to abide and walk with God so it informs us how we may be sure to do it It tells us of his own right hand which is ready to uphold us that we may follow hard after God Psal 63. 8. It tells us that the Lord is of Power to establish us and to keep us from falling and that if He does hold us up we shall be safe and shall have respect unto his precepts continually Psal 119. 117. The Word directs us to be strong in the Grace that is in Christ Jesus 2 Tim. 2. 1. who is the Author and Finisher of our Faith the same yesterday and to day and for ever The Word of God shews a greater security than Adam found in Paradice or many of the Angels found in Heaven it self There is a New Covenant made and is to be laid hold upon This Covenant is everlasting sure and admirably well ordered 't is established by the Death and Blood of Christ the Mediator of it 't is confirmed by the Oath of God and by the Sacraments which are as it were two broad Seals of Heaven annexed to it The faithful God will keep Covenant on his part and he engages for his People that they on their part shall keep his Covenant and his Testimonies Jer. 32. 40. I will not turn away from them to do them good and I will put my fear in their Hearts that they shall not depart from me 7. The Word of God is so perfect as to guide and bring us safe to Glory Psal 73. 23 24. Nevertheless I am continually with thee thou hast holden me by my right hand thou shalt guide me with thy Counsel and afterwards receive to Glory This Word shews the path of Life the way Everlasting that leads unto the Lords glorious Presence where there is fulness of Joy and Pleasures for evermore None ever miscarried that follow'd this Words conduct It came from Heaven and it guides safely thither All flesh is grass and all the Glory of man as the flower of the Field but the Word of God is incorruptible and abides for ever 't is by this that Believers are wrought upon and raised and fitted for a blessed Immortality Their Treasure Hearts and Conversations are in Heaven now while themselves are here on Earth and they are growing more meet to be partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light. Admirable is the Perfection of the Word that will infallibly bring all that Believe and Love and walk according to it unto that blessed place and State where there will be a Perfection of Light and of Delight a perfection of Righteousness and Holiness a perfection of Happiness and Joy and all this will last in the highest perfection to Eternity The Apostle commends those of Ephesus of whom he takes his last leave unto the Grace and to the Word of God he knew very well that this was the way to be built up to Glory Act. 20. 32. And now Brethren I commend you to God and to the Word of his Grace which is able to build you up and to give you an Inheritance among all them that are sanctified You see in what sense the Word of God is perfect In the second place I am to prove by Arguments the Perfection and Sufficiency of this Word of God. 1. The Perfection of the Word is very plainly asserted in Scripture and if God himself affirms his Word to be perfect that Man must needs be very bold and a great Lyar who shall charge it with imperfection my Text is an evident Testimony The Law of the Lord is perfect it makes the simple wise and Converts sinful Souls to God. The Psalmist tells us He had seen an end of all Perfection and then adds but thy Commandment is exceeding broad Psal 119. 96. The greatness of the Greatest the riches of the Richest the wisdom of the Wisest he had lookt through and lookt beyond but the perfect Word of God was a Direction a Support and a Satisfaction to Him when every thing else failed In this Word there is Wisdom and Mercy and Grace without bounds or limits It cleanses the Hearts and Hands of Sinners and is useful to Saints to the very end of their days and makes their end Peace Nay 't is the Churches Heritage which she lives Holily and well upon in all Generations The Apostle calls the VVord of God a perfect Law of Liberty Jam. 1. 25. But whoso looketh into this perfect Law of Liberty and continueth therein he being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the Work this man shall be blessed in his deed 'T is called a Law of Liberty because the commands of the Word so far as they are obeyed do make the Obedient free from sin whose service is indeed slavery and being free from sins servitude they are no longer under guilt the curse or wrath but they have the liberty the Priviledges of the Children of God. 'T is called a perfect Law of Liberty because the Doer of it that perseveres in his Obedience shall certainly be blessed in his deed This Law does not only command but Grace and Strength from the Spirit goes along with it which causes it to be kept and the fruit being unto Holiness the End will be Life eternal 2. By the Perfection of the Word in the Scriptures the end of committing it to writing is obtained I grant there was a Church and the Word of God in it before there was a Scripture and then the Lord conveyed his Mind from Father to Son by Tradition and this was more easie to be done when men were so very long lived as to continue upon Earth very near a thousand years Methuselah lived in the days of Adam Shem in the days of Methuselah and Isaac is observed to have been born and grown up to be a man before Shem was taken out of the World. But afterwards it pleased the Lord that Tradition should be no longer trusted but to prevent Corruption in Religion we have a written Word which all are to give diligent heed to The Word was written that God might not be forgotten the Scripture being consulted is the means to keep up the remembrance of him in all ages The Apostle Peter tells us he therefore set Pen to Paper that after his decease the things of God might be had always in remembrance 2 Pet. 1. 15. The Word was written that Men might

't is no longer loved 'T is a Sign of malice towards our Neighbour if we are glad to hear all the Evil that is spoken of him and all the Reproach that is cast upon him 'T is a Sign of hatred to Sin when we like to have it discovered when we like that its deceitful and damnable Nature should be represented and the falsness foulness and filthiness of it should be laid open and naked Sin is so great an Evil that there cannot be too much Evil spoken of it 't is so great an Enemy that you can never too faithfully and plainly be warned against it 3. Do you apprehend your greatest danger to be from your Master Sin and therefore continually endeavour the Mortification of it The King of Syria give this Commission to his Army Fight neither against small nor great save onely with the King of Israel What were all besides to be spared No certainly many Israelites fell in the battel But there was a principal design to take at least if not to cut off the King of Israel All Sin deserves thy hatred no Sin is so small an Enemy as that thou mayest safely spare it But the Master Sin is the chief foe therefore its destruction should chiefly be designed That Man that is an Enemy to his Master Sin desires it may be still weakned by all means Oh! saith he that every Mercy may help to kill it leading me to Repentance for it That every stroke of the Rod may help to strike it more dead that every Sermon may give this Sin a blow that by every Prayer I may obtain more strength against it That every time I come to the Table of the Lord this Sin may be in a greater measure Crucified VSE II of Exhortation And of this there are two Branches I shall speak to Sinners that are under the full Fower of their Master Sin. Then I shall speak to Saints in whom there are too great remainders of it 1. I am to speak to Sinners who are under the full Power of their Master Sin. It is storied concerning Agrippina the Mother of Nero Caesar that it was told her by an Oracle that her Son should be Emperour of Rome but afterwards should kill his own Mother Agrippina replies Occidat mode imperet Let him kill me so he does but reign O 't is the Language of all presumptuous Sinners concerning their Master Lusts Let them but reign no matter though they are our Damnation and Destruction But what do you see in Sin or in its Wages that any of you should be thus fond of its Service What good reason can be given why Sin should have one slave in this whole Congregation or in the whole World I 〈…〉 stly exhort you to lay aside every weight but especially the Sin 〈…〉 t does most easily beset you Arguments to perswade are these 1. Consider the Master Sin is the strongest hold of Satan While Sin keeps up its Dominion Satan holds fast his Possession This Sin is your most deadly disease and the strongest Cord in which the Devil binds you and leads you Captive at his Pleasure 2. The Master Sin is the great hindrance of the efficacy of the means of Grace This makes the Preachers pains lost labour this makes Mercies and Afflictions to be lost upon you this makes you to lose all the duties you perform 3. This Master Sin is not without its Train A great Person especially a Crown'd Head is not without a great many that attend him A Master Sin has a great Attendance Many lusts are subservient to this Main one that the greater and more plentiful Provision may be made for the fulfilling it How great is thy danger who hast so many Enemies lodging in thee and lording it over thee 4. Suppose this Master Sin were alone this were enough to ruine thee If a Pistol is discharged at the Heart and a small Bullet enter there it kills as certainly as if there were a thousand Cannons discharged at a man at once One Sin suffered to rule in thy Heart is sufficient were there no more effectually and eternally to ruine thee 5. The Master Sin wars against thy Soul most dangerously and wounds most deeply And after it has ruined thee Oh with what anguish will it be reflected on in the lowest Hell This will be there thy heaviest load Thou wilt remember how deaf thou wer● to all Counsel to cast it away and how great thy madness was i● taking most pleasure in that which proves the cause of the greatest even ever●asting Sorrow and Vexation Oh be so wise as to change your old Master Sin and let Christ become your Lord. 2. I am to speak to Saints in whom there are too great remainders of the Sin that was once their Master I exhort you more essectually and throughly to mortifie it Pray consider 1. If this Sin does frequently prevail it will keep you very low in Grace Faith will be weak Hope will be dampt Love will be cool and the whole inward Man will wofully languish 2. As you will be weak in Grace so will be low in Comfort When Temptations are yielded to Conscience will be disquieted Peace will be disturbed Th● Pride thy Passion thy carnal Affections prevailing will make thy Heart too much like the troubled Sea when it ca 〈…〉 rest whose waters cast forth mire and dirt Isa 57. 〈◊〉 3. T 〈…〉 lency of this easily besetting Sin will hinder you from being so 〈…〉 le to your great and gracious Lord. It will make his work to 〈…〉 glected and when done to be done too negligently sorry Servants you will be and very sorry your services will be The more sanctified you are the fitter you are for your Masters use 2 Tim. 2 21. but Sin makes you unmeet and more unable and unwilling to serve him 4. This Sin will make you to shine less in your lives 't wil fully your Conversations and hinder you from adorning the Gospel Oh keep unspotted and walk exactly as in the day that you may be blameless and harmless the Children of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse Nation and that you may shine as Lights in the World Phil. 2. 15. 5. This Sin may cause you to set in a Cloud It may fill you with doubts when you are dying and that will be very dreadful You may be terribly frighted with the fears of Hell when you are just at Heavens gate Be therefore upright keep your selves from the iniquity that does most easily beset you that you may be more useful in your lives have the stronger and more lively hope in Death and that your End when it comes may be more perfect Peace VSE III. Of Direction How the Sin which does most easily beset you may be laid aside 1. Pray for a clean Heart Psal 51. 10. David having been overcome by a strong Corruption and done a Deed that was very foul cryes for a purer Heart a more right and constant Spirit he knew that to purge the Fountain was the way to have the strea●s clean Go unto God for a new Heart which he has promised and will give to all who prize and desire such an Heart S●rike at the root of Sin in the Heart then the branches and this top branch the Master-sin will wither 2. Seriously ●●●●o Heart how much the Sin that na●●●a●ly is 〈◊〉 beloved does deser●●●●ur hatred Hated Sin is so ●eak that it can ruine none 't is the love of Sin that gives it power and as it were puts a Sword into its hand to flay you 3. Resist the very first stirrings of this Sin in you I believe if David as soon as ever he beheld from his Palace the beauteous Bathsheba had presently turn'd away his eyes and had fallen upon his knees and gone to Prayer he had overcome the Temptation Sin is more weak at the beginning Our Lords Counsel is Watch and Pray that ye enter not into temptation Mat. ●● 41. 4. If you would abandon the Master-sin Pray much for the contrary Grace Is Pride thy Master-sin Pray much for Humility Is Passion thy Master-sin Pray much for Patience ●●● for the Meekness and Gentleness of Christ Is Love to the 〈◊〉 thy Master-sin Pray that thou may'st rise with Christ 〈◊〉 ●ve and mind a better World better Honours better Plea 〈…〉 a more lasting Wealth than this World can yield 5 Let the Word of God which does forbid and threaten this Master-sin be carefully hid in your Heart This Word may be in thy Mo●th thou mayest talk of it it may be in thy Mind thou may'st have a notional Knowledge of it Nay it may go further and be in thy Conscience and be thought of in the very act of Sin. But if it be in thy Heart if thy Will and Affections are taken with it then it will be an effectual Preservative against Iniquity Psal 119. 11. Thy Word have I hid in my Heart that I might not sin against thee 6. Improve the Death of our Lord Jesus Bring the Sin which does so easily beset you to the Cross of Christ No Sin truly dyes but upon Christs Cross Gal 5. 24. They that are Christs have Crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts these are never Mortified but by being Crucified How can the old Adam dye but upon the Cross of the second Adam Rom. 6. 6. Knowing this that our old man is Crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not ser●e sin 7. Call in the Spirits aid He can make the Word sharp as a two-edged Sword to pierce the Heart and to slay the strongest Sin there He glorifies Christ and can draw you to him and enable you by Faith to derive Grace from him sufficient to help you against the most powerful Corruptions He can kill the Sin that is hardest to be slain he can mortifie all the deeds of the body Rom. ● 13. the strongest members on the Earth Col. 3. 5. and he can seal you unto the day of Redemption FINIS