Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	eternal_a	holy_a	son_n	7,025	5	5.5036	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B10034	Of the day of grace, or, A discourse concerning the possibility and fear of its being past before death shewing the groundless doubts, and mistaken apprehensions of some as to their being finally forsaken and left of God, with the dangerous symptomsand approaches of others to such a sad state, in four sermons from Psalm LXXX1. 11, 12 / by John Shower.	Shower, John, 1657-1715.	1694 (1694)	Wing S3679A; ESTC R184224	54,234	156

He that being often reproved hardens his Heart shall suddenly be destroyed and that without Remedy If Men once come to this that under the most searching lively Sermons they can continue secure and wilful in known sins they may fear lest they be left to go further even to the hating of Godliness and good Men Or at least to be so far stupified as not to feel any thing of the force of Gods Terrors or the sweetness of his Promises but to make a Jest of sin and think a Life of Godliness a needless thing Such Persons when it comes to this especially if they grow old in this Course have Cause to fear lest they be forsaken of God and given over to their own Hearts Lusts sealed up under Judicial Blindness and Hardness of Heart III. WHEN The Spirit of Grace gives over striving with the Souls of Men. This is a most dangerous Case For except He return they are irrecoverably lost There is an absolute necessity of the Influence of the Divine Spirit to the Begining Progress and Continuance of the Spiritual Life and there is no Opposition in the Soul but this Spirit of Life and Power can overcome But when he gives over striving with men how deplorable must their Case be And this he doth with many after they have resisted the Spirit and rebelled against the Spirit and vexed the Holy Spirit of God as we read of some that did Acts 7.51 Now if this blessed Spirit move not upon the Soul of a Backslider he can never be recovered And when he hath often been repulsed and grieved and quenched he may withdraw in Anger and God may justly resolve as concerning the old World that his Spirit shall strive no more no longer with them Especially when after a great Profession of Christianity men turn Apostates and despise Preaching and the other Institutions of the Gospel having done despite to the Spirit of Grace Heb. 10.29 Which though spoken of open final Apostates should make Others that approach thereto to tremble And of how much soever Punishment shall such be thought guilty that do thus Despight to the Spirit of Christ who bears Witness to his Person and Doctrine Who can tell the Dreadfulness and Horrour of their Punishment The Constitution of the Law of Moses reached but to a temporal Death without mercy But besides temporal Judgments such a Guilt will expose them to Eternal Wrath For the greatest sin will have the greatest Punishment No wonder then if the Holy Spirit strive no more with Persons that come under this tremendous Guilt that sin against the Holy Spirit even as a Spirit of Grace doing Despight to the Spirit of Grace who did invite and wooe and draw them unto Christ to bring them under the Bond of the Covenant My Spirit shall not alway strive with men Gen. 6.3 Heb. 3.13 Luke 13 7. When the Spirit of Grace and Love and Benignity hath shone in upon their Minds and often touched their Consciences and secretly whispered Sinner Wilt thou not yet turn What hast thou no Inclinations to return to me O do not go on and perish c. Now to despight this very Spirit of Grace must needs be attended with great Aggravations of Guilt because it is after some Experience of his Influence and Power This must be one of the most dangerous Symptoms of a perishing lost Condition The Gospel must needs be hid unto such because without the Light and Influence of the Holy Spirit it can have no saving Effect If our Gospel be hid says our Apostle it is hid to them that are lost 2 Cor. 4.3 Whose Minds are blinded by Satan lest the Light of the glorious Gospel of Christ should shine into their Hearts Though I must here add that no Man I believe can determine what Degree of this Guilt as to particular Persons doth distinguish those who are Irrecoverably lost from such as are Recoverable and may be called to Repentance IV. THOUGH The Spirit have not done striving yet when the preaching of the Word though you cannot resist the Light of divine Truth but somewhat of it shines into the Mind and Conscience if yet your Hearts stand out and will not yield this is a dangerous Case For men may be convinced by the Word of the sinfulness and Danger of their Condition they may come to determine and to pronounce Judgment upon themselves that what God requires of them is but Just and equal and that hitherto they have not complied with his Call One thing or other from day to day hath hindered them from coming up to the terms of the Gospel from a covenant Closure with the Son of God upon the Gospel Call They may say and own it before God and Men That they are deeply convinced such a thing ought to be done But I have not yet found the time or the Leisure or the Heart to retire into a Closet and consider it and set about it in good earnest and give up my Soul to him I am convinced I must do it or I cannot enter into Heaven I am convinced I must turn or I shall dye I am satisfied this my present Course must issue in my Ruine my Eternal Ruine that if I go on and dye in this Case I am lost for ever But yet notwithstanding such Convictions with many still the Heart holds out against all that can be said The highest and the most important matters that can be named though propounded with the clearest Evidence and represented as of the nearest Concern to them yet do not effectually prevail with them Though we propose in the Name of God the Incouragment of that Blessedness and Priviledge which no man that understands and believes but must desire Though we flash the Fire of Hell before them and endeavour by the Terrors of the Lord to perswade them yet they have heard of these things so often that they are not moved by them to yield themselves to the Lord. All that we speak in the Name of Christ is as a Tale that is told they have heard it so often it makes little Impression Things are come to that sad pass with them and they are Scrmon-proof to that Degree that to use the words of a Great man unless we could speak of greater things than Heaven and Hell we cannot move them And though their Minds are inlightened and some Convictions begun yet their Lusts carry the Day against their Convictions Conscience is baffled or kept under by the Power of vicious Inclinations And while men go on at this rate who can tell but God may say Let them alone but that he may give them up to those Lusts they have chosen and so their Condition be desperate Though they themselves do not apprehend it to be so And as to individual Persons we cannot distinctly tell when it is so but so it may be and God be clear in his Righteousness herein because it is penal and after great Provocations and it was lately otherwise

Sorrow for sin is absolutely needful Some have more and others less even of true Penitents TAKE heed of mistaking the Case concerning the Day of Grace being over and sinners being finally left of God For it is never true in this Life that any are so left of God and their Day of Grace so over as that if they truly repent and turn to him he will not accept them This would be against the whole tenour of the Gospel Covenant For whosoever turns to God by true Repentance and Faith in Jesus Christ shall not perish but have eternal Life But there is another sense of such Ex●ressions that is when men have so ●●ng resisted the Spirit and refused the ●ffers of Gods Grace and rejected the Yoke and Government of Christ that God resolves to let them alone never ●o give them the prevailing Grace of his Spirit but in righteous Judgment ●o abandon them to their own Hearts Lusts to walk in their own Counsels Because they would not turn at my Reproof they shall call but I will not answer seek me earnestly but not find me Prov. 1.28 If men harden their Hearts and will not hear and obey the voice of God He may sware in his Wrath that they shall not enter into his Rest Heb. 3.11.15 18. Num. 12.22 Ezek. 24.13 It may be this very day or hour while now thou art called by God to Turn and Live if thou refuse now thy Day may be over and past for ever To morrow God may say Let him Alone he shall not be purged he shall dye in his sins Isa 42.14 Hos 4.17 This is a possible Case but who can tell when it is thus How can this be known of particular Persons when it is so though some Approach nearer to it than Others How can it positively be said of any that God will never give such Persons Repentance unto Life You may be sure that if you find your Hearts Penitent and willing to return to him that it doth not reach you It is not your Case Therefore VI. YOU that thus complain and fear have you not many of the Fruits of the Spirit visible and manifest in you Therefore the Spirit of Christ hath not left you God hath not given you over Do you not esteem and prize the GRACE of the Gospel Do you not cry to Heaven for the Spirit of Grace Are you not earnest in the seeking the Spirit of Holiness from day to day Whence is it but from Grace that you have an Heart to prize and seek it They that have outstood the Day of Grace they despise it they are sunk into Carnality and Forgetfulness of God they are insensible and stupid and unconcerned about his Grace But for you that value it and seek it your Day of Grace cannot be over For it is from Common Grace at least which has a tendency to Special and shows your Case not to be like those who are given up of God But with most that thus complain there is more than common Grace There are Fruits of special Grace visible You do unfeignedly Repent and mourn for Sin and desire to give up your selves to Christ Now what but Grace hath made you to see the evil of sin and hate it What but Grace hath made you willing to Accept of Christ for your Lord and Saviour What but Grace has made you value the Favour of God and a holy Heart and Life above all the World How is it that you are brought to love God and delight in him to seek after him and desire to please him and to be troubled that you can do so no more no better For such as you to say your Day of Grace is over is as absurd as one expresseth it as for a Man to come into our Assemblies and hear the Sermon and then go away lamenting that the Sermon was done before he came You have received that Grace which you complain you want You know 't is otherwise with Many Were you like them Did you find your Lusts and Passions lead you captive at their pleasure had you no Affections stirring after God and Holiness did you despise Christ and all Regard and Duty to him and could not perswade your selves to hear or read or pray or think of another World or do any thing to provide for it you might then fear indeed what the issue of your Case would be But that is not the Case I am now speaking of nor of any I hope that now hear me your Appearance in these Assemblies is some sign of the contrary And though as yet you may be unconverted and unsanctified if you are so far Awake as to look after Reconciliation to God if you are touched with a sense of your sin and Danger so as to desire to be assisted and enabled to Repent and turn to the Lord how bad soever your present Case be it is not Desperate and Remediless For you are in the way of Mercy and nothing but your own wilful impenitent refusal of Mercy can deprive you of it VII As to the Complaint of an Hard Heart Remember it is the Impenitent and the Vnperswadable Heart that is the only hard Heart you need to fear They that are obstinate and disobedient intractable and incorrigible as the People of the Jews were that neither regarded the divine Threatnings or Promises or minded his Precepts These are they that are under Hardness of Heart This is the Judgment you ought to fear to be left under such a Temper But you find it otherwise with you that the voice of God doth awe and command you Your Wills are bowed unto Subjection to him you are willing to take upon you the Yoke of Christ or have taken it and renouncing all Competitors you desire to chuse Christ for your Lord and Saviour and that God in Christ should be your Ruler and your Felicity If it be thus you may be sure you are not left of God VIII THAT Sight of sin and sense of the Burthen of Corruption which you complain of as the Ground of your fear will argue the direct contrary to what you alledge it for For sin has always the greatest strength where the sinner is the least Apprehensive and Sensible of it There is more hope of a sensible Patient that feels his sickness and complains of it than of one that feels nothing but is confident all is well Is not their Case much worse who feel nothing of the Evil of sin to whom the Power of it is not troublesome nor the Pollution of it lothsom nor the Guilt of it butthenfom While it is otherwise with you you may be assured you are not given over and left of God and your Day of Grace past it is yet Day with you or else how came you by so much Light to see the evil of sin more than formerly and to see so many things to be sin which before you did not Though there may and will be a Conflict between Flesh and

with them But they sinned away their Mercy and outstood their Day There was a time when he would have been found of them but now he will not O that thou hadst known in this thy day the things that belong unto thy Peace Now they are hid from thine Eyes A little while ago they were not But to prevent mistake Remember that though the Spirit retiring from such does infer their Day of Grace to be past if he return not and for ought you can tell he never may yet he doth not Darken their Minds by putting any ill thoughts into them or any ill Disposition of Mind God retires and the Spirit leaves you after you have provoked him and so you are lost He only says This wretched Creature will not be prevailed with he persists in a careless Neglect of me and my Son and Spirit we will leave him and let him alone to his own Lusts to walk in his own Counsels O dreadful Doom how should the Danger of it startle us V. THERE are Others whose Case is exceeding dangerous who after some trial in the ways of God for want of that sensible Joy and Comfort which they expected grow weary of them and leave them off They were formerly diligent and constant in the outward performance of such and such Duties of Worship in publick and private but now have laid them aside Some of these I believe have now and then a sentence of Condemnation within themselves but Others are hardened past feeling They tried a while and began hopefully and made a little Progress But their Convictions did not presently end in peace of Conscience they did not presently meet with that comfortable settlement and Establishment which they hoped for either through their own Ignorance or want of Advice and Counsel concerning the state of their Souls or from the Power of Temptation c. But not finding such Peace and Joy as they expected or so soon they give over and go back to their wonted Course of sin and Neglect of God This is the Case of many convinced in their Youth They follow the Tendency of that for some time they hope for a good Issue and that their Trouble of Soul will be quickly over They pray and read and confess sin and mourn for it c. But find not presently the Peace they expected they find their Lusts to strive and stir still and sin and Satan not to be overcome and it may be some Corruptions are more strong than formerly or they are more sensible of their strength and Acting Hereupon the Devil suggests to them matter of Discouragment and their own Hearts are ready to make them say in a timorous Despondency of Spirit I see I am entered into a melancholy course of Life I see no end of these Troubles I fear I shall never attain to Peace as long as I hearken to my Conscience If I thus let every sin trouble me I shall never have a days Quiet If I am thus nice and scrupulous and tender about sin and Duty I shall never while I live get out of these Perplexities Therefore I will even cast all off I will give my self more Liberty and hearken to my Conscience no longer I will take my Pleasure as I see others do and not wait any longer for those Pleasures of another kind which I was told of but despair of attaining I give up all for lost as to any of these things I shall never reach them therefore I will do as well as I can for the present I will drive away my melancholy Thoughts by Company and Wine and Mirth c. Hereupon such Persons come in a little while to dislike all such Books and Preaching as would revive their Convictions and to avoid the very Company of those who knew any thing of the state of their Souls while under Conviction and are like to speak to them about it That Ministry that will not let them alone and suffer them to be quiet in the Enjoyment of their Lusts they cannot relish and in a little while they care for none at all unless their Credit and Reputation or Temporal Interest or some such Motive ingage them to attend it Or else they cure themselves by some false Doctrines that put an end to their Convictions and make them easily perswade themselves that they are Elected and that Christ is theirs and their Sins are pardoned or were so from all Eternity c. But this is a hazardous and dreadful Case when Persons arrive to this pitch they had need look about them and Return quickly lest God should give them over VI. WHEN men continue in sin and put off their Repentance and Turning to God with this Thought and Intention that they will some time or other Repent and turn to God but not yet One can hardly tell whether the provoking Guilt and Danger of such a Case be greater than the horrid Absurdity of it And yet this is a Delusion that has ruined Thousands and made ample Harvests for the Devil They have some Tremblings under the Word as Felix when the Apostle discoursed of Righteousness and Temperance and Judgment to come But the convenient time for their complying with their Convictions and performing their good Resolutions is not come but they intend it they resolve it I would fain ask such Persons that now continue in known sin unreconciled to God who yet intend to Repent whether they indeed think that God will Accept and forgive them when they do Repent or that he will not If they say as doubtless they will We think and hope he will forgive us and whenever we truly Repent he has promised to receive us Yet 1. IS it not then the basest and the most horrid Ingratitude that can be to continue longer to abuse the Grace of God to assront him and rebel against him and delay your Return to him with this Thought Dare you say to the God of all Grace who has born with you so long Lord I have dishonoured thy Name for so many years I have slighted thy Authority I have disobeyed thy Calls I have refused thy Grace I have exposed my self to thy righteous Anger all my Life hitherto O let me alone to do so thus much longer and then I will Repent then I will ask thee forgiveness How ungrateful how absurd is such a Speech 2. WILL Not the same Argument that keeps thee from Repenting now be as strong hereafter For after all the little objections against Repenting and Reforming at present the only one at the bottom is because it is Present and that will still hold So that your Turning to God will be as improbable at any time hereafter as now It ought to be very well considered in this Case That whoever continues in sin with this Thought and Design of Repenting hereafter the Devil is sure to prosper in any Attempt against that Man For when that time comes to be present unto which he has adjourned his intended