Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	eye_n	see_v	soul_n	5,969	5	5.1023	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A12168	A breathing after God. Or a Christians desire of Gods presence. By the late reverent and worthy divine Richard Sibs, Doctor in Divinity, master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge, and sometime preacher of Graies-Inne	Sibbes, Richard, 1577-1635.	1639 (1639)	STC 22477; ESTC S102403	23,657	124

little more of the object why doth he say One thing First it is from the nature of God wee must have the whole bent and sway of our soules to him he will have no halting The Devill is content with halfe if we will sinne because then hee is sure of all but God will have the whole heart My sonne give me thy whole heart and Thou shalt love the Lord withall thy heart and withall thy soule the bent and sway of the soule must be that way for it is the nature of excellent things except w● desire them in the chiefe place they take state upon them God takes state upon him in this case hee will not have us serve him and Mammon he will not have the heart divided Then againe it is from the nature of the soule therefore hee saith One thing It is the nature of the soule when it is upon many things it can doe nothing well therefore that I may be religious to purpose One thing have I desired A streame cut into many channels runs weakely and is unfit to carry any thing Babylon was so taken They cut the River into many channels and then hee that tooke it easily passed over them When the soule is divided into many channels to many things that it lookes after this thing and that thing and that with expence and intention of care and indeavour Alas where is the desire of one thing necessary all the while For the soule cannot goe with that strength as it should except it mind one thing the soule of man is a finite thing therefore except it gather its strength as a streame that riseth of many particular lesser rivers which makes it run strongly so the soule it cannot desire one thing as it should except it bring all other petty streames to it and make that the mayne desire to be saved in another world and to have communion and fellowship with God in Christ Jesus by the Spirit of grace in this world in the use of the meanes unlesse this be the maine care the soule takes no good when it is so much set on other things Then thirdly hee sets downe this One thing To dwell in the house of God to grow in grace there as a Cedar to be a Tree planted there from the very nature of grace which is to unite things to the mayne the Spirit of grace sets before the eye of the soule heavenly spirituall things in their greatnesse and excellency and the Spirit of grace seeing there are many usefull things in this world it hath an uniting knitting subordinating power to rancke all things so as they may agree to and helpe the mayne Grace confines the soule to one thing man after his fall sought out many inventions saith the Wise man he was not content with his condition when he stood but hee sought out many inventions When man falls to the creature he knowes not where to stay no creature can afford a stay and rest for the soule long the soule is never quiet till it come to God againe and that is the one thing the soule desireth The soule being sanctified by the Spirit of God it subordinates all things to this one thing David desired many things besides this one thing but not in that degree but as they might stand with the desire of this one thing necessarie Grace subordinates and ranckes all things so as that the best things have the preheminence Therefore hee might well say One thing from the disposition that grace hath to rancke all things to one It is a promise in the Covenant of grace saith God I will give you one heart as soone as a man becomes a Christian he hath one heart his heart before was divided there was variety of objects it was set upon God had the least piece the slesh had a piece and this delight and that delight had a piece but saith God I will give you one heart that is a heart uniting it selfe in desire to the best things and regulating all things so as all shall be but one that a man shall use the world as though hee used it not so as it shall helpe to the maine As I sayd little streames they helpe the mayne streame running into it so grace hath a subordinating power over all things in the world as they may helpe the mayne One thing have I desired and I desire other things as they may helpe the mayne Grace will teach us that Art it hath a speciall Art that way So wee see both in regard of God and in regard of the soule being finite and in respect of the wise disposing of grace that aymes at the mayne and ranckes all things as they may helpe the mayne he doth well say One thing have I desired This shewes the vanitie and basenesse of every worldly man that makes the mayne worke and labour his by-worke and the by-worke his mayne worke that that is the One thing necessarie is set after all Indeed without grace this is so The first worke of grace is to set the soule in order to subdue base affections to sanctifie the judgement and when it hath set the soule in tune and order then it is fitted to set a right price on things to rancke and order them as it should So much shall be sufficient to unfold the object it selfe in generall One thing Have I desired Now I come to the affection it selfe set forth here by the degrees One thing have I desired and that I will seeke after I have desired it and I will desire it still desires are the issues of the heart thoughts and desires are the two primitive issues of the heart the birthes of the heart Thoughts breed desire thoughts in the minde or braine the braine strikes the heart presently It goes from the understanding to the will and affections what we thinke of that wee desire if it be good So thoughts and desires they immediatly spring from the soule And where they are in any efficacy and strength they stirre up motion in the outward man the desires of the soule being the inward motion they stirre up outward motion till there be an attaining of the thing desired and then there is rest Desire to the thing desired is like motus ad quietem as motionis to rest when motion coms once to rest it is quiet so desire which is the inward motion it stirres up outward motion till the thing desired be accomplished and then the soule rests in a loving content and enjoying of the thing desired Now this desire it was a spituall desire One thing have I desired of the Lord. Holy desires they issue from choyce a holy wise desire when it is not a meere notion it ariseth from a choyce of a thing that is good for desire is nothing but the imbracing and closing with a thing that is good The understanding must choose the good first before the soule imbrace it The will

vapours that come out of the place men gather that there is a spring below because of the ascent of vapours so the vapouring out of these desires shew that there is a spring of Grace in the heart they discover that there is a spring within And let those that mourne in Sion that have some evidence though they are not so good as they would be let them looke to their hearts what is thy desire what is the bent of thy soule when a man is once converted and turned wherein is his turning Especially his minde and judgement and esteeme of things as altered there is a change of minde and withall the desire and bent of the soule is altered that if a man aske him and examine what the bent is of all the course of his life oh that God might be glorified that his Church and cause might prosper that others might be converted this is the bent of his soule not that hee might be great in the world and ruine those that stand in his way this shewes that a man is a rotten hypocrite the bent and sway of the soule shews what a man is Because I would not have any deceived in the point take one evidence and signe more with you and that shall be in stead of all and it is out of the Text too One thing have I desired and that will I seeke after not by prayer onely but in the use of all meanes as indeed hee was never quiet till hee was setled againe in Sion nor then neither till he had gotten materials for the Temple and a place for Gods honour to dwell in If desires be not the desires of the sluggard there will be indeavour as wee see in the desire of David here One thing have I desired and that will I seeke he used all meanes to enjoy communion with God sweetly The Slug gard lusts and hath nothing so there are many spirituall sluggards that lust and have nothing because they shew not their desire in their indeavours there will be indeavour where the desire is true For desire springs from the Will the Will being the appetite of the whole man Voluntas appetitus c. The understanding carries not but the Will when the Will will have a thing it caryes all the parts hereupon when the desire is true it stirs up all the powers and faculties to doe their dutie to seeke to attaine the accomplishment and possession of that that is desired Those therefore that pretend they have good desires to God and yet live scandalously and negligently and will take no paines with their soules alas it is the sluggards desire if they take not paines to remoove all lets and hindrances for a man may know the desire of a thing is good when hee labours to set the hindrances out of the way if hee can if the lets and hindrances be not impossible hee will remove it if hee can Therefore those that pretend this and that There is a Lion in the way when they might remoove it if they would there is no true desire for desire is with the remooving of all possible hindrances of the thing desired But to resolve one question How shall I know whether my desire be strong enough and ripe enough or no to give me comfort I answer if the desire of grace be above the desire of any earthly thing that a man may say with David One thing have I desired I desire to be free from sinne as a greater blessing to my soule then to be free from any calamity oh it is a good signe And surely a man can never have comfort of his desire till his desires be raysed to that pitch For none ever shall come to heaven that doe not desire the things that tend to heaven above all earthly things nor none shall ever escape hell that doe not thinke it worse and more terrible then all earthly miseries God brings no fooles to heaven that cannot discerne the difference of things Therefore let us know that our desires are to little purpose if wee have some desire to be good c. but wee have a greater desire to be rich and great in the world to have such and such place if the desire of that be greater then to be gracious with God If we hate poverty and disgrace and want and this and that more then sinne and hell to which sinne leads it is a signe that our judgements are rotten and corrupt and that our desire is no pure spirituall desire for it is not answerable to the thing desired there is no proportion David saith here One thing have I desired his desire carryed him amaine to One thing necessary above all other things whatsoever Thus you see out of the Text what are the distinguishing notes of true desires from those that are false I need name no more if we consider what hath beene spoken Now for our comfort if we find these holy desires oh let us take comfort in our selves for God will fulfill the desires of them that feare him holy desires they are the birth of Gods Spirit and there is not one of them that shall be lost for God regards those desires My groanings are not hid from thee my groanings in trouble and desires of grace There is not the least thing stirred up in the soule by the Spirit of God but it prevayles with God in some degree answerable to the degree of worth in it therefore if wee have holy desires stirred up by God God promotes those desires God will regard his owne worke and to him that hath shall be given Lord be mercifull to thy servants that desire to feare thy Name saith Ezechias It is a plea that wee may bring to God Lord I desire to please thee as it is Isay 26. 8. The desire of our soules is to thy Name oh Lord Wee faile sometimes that wee cannot performe actions with that zeale and earnestnes as wee should but the desire and bent of our soule is to thy Name A Christian may make it his plea to God truly our desires are towards thy Name and wee have some sutable indeavours and our desires are more that way then to any thing in the world It is a good plea though wee be much hindred and pulled backe by our corruptions So much for that the Act upon this object One thing have I desired Of whom doth hee desire it Of the Lord. One thing have I desired of the Lord. It was not a blind desire of the thing but a desire directed to the right object to God to fulfill it Holy desires are such as we are not ashamed of but dare open them to God himselfe in prayer and desires to God A Christian what he desires as a Christian he prayes for and what he prayes for he desires he is an hypocrite else If a man pray as Saint Austin in his confessions that God would free him from temptations and yet is unwilling to