Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	faith_n	grace_n	word_n	9,264	5	4.2777	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A45566	The safest convoy, or, The strongest helper declared in a valedictory sermon before the Right Honourable Sr. Thomas Bendish, Baronet, His Majesties ambassadour ... / deliverd by Nathanaell Hardy.	Hardy, Nathaniel, 1618-1670.	1653 (1653)	Wing H746; ESTC R28060	22,044	37

through the waters of the Red Sea and the River Iordan both which were wonderfully divided that so the Israelites might have a passage to Canaan and thus they are a seasonable comfort to all those who either on publique emploiments or their own lawfull affairs passe the great waters as being from hence warranted to expect though not such a miraculous yet a gracious presence of God with them If with others we reade the words in the Future tense cum transieris and conster them Allegorically they referre to the Babylonian Captivity in which God promiseth to be with them and thereby to deliver them and so they are fitly applicable to the Church of God and every member thereof in all ages assuring her of Gods powerfull assistance in her passage through the waters of tribulation to the heavenly Jerusalem this later construction is doubtlesse most consonant to the Text and therefore shall be chiefly insisted on yet withall I shall in the close touch upon the former as best agreeing to the present occasion But to unlock the Metaphor of the Text conceive the World as a Sea full of waters the Church as a Ship sailing in this Sea passing through those waters persecutions as the windes that raise the waves and endanger the overwhelming of the Ship notwithstanding which having the Crosse of Christ for her main Mast the sacred promises to be her Cablas the graces of Faith Hope and Patience as her Anchors pure and holy affections as her Sails and the gentle winde of the Spirit to favour her finally having the Word for her Helm and God for her Pilot she sails securely and at last arrives safely at the haven of heaven When thou passest through the waters I will be with thee c. The words you see are dulcissima promissio a sweet and gracious promise wherein you have considerable 1. The excellency of the blessing promised I will be with thee 2. The seasonablenesse of the time when it shall be accomplished when thou passest through the waters 3. The felicity of the benefit procured by it they shall not overflow thee Nothing more amiable then Gods presence his presence is never more comfortable then when we passe through the waters and the power of that presence in those waters appears most admirable in that they do not overflow us If you please to call the Church a Ship you have observable her Voyage her Pilote her Successe the Voyage perillous the Pilote glorious the Successe prosperous the Voyage full of danger the Pilote full of skill the Successe full of comfort there is a necessity of the Voyage we must through the waters there is a certainty of the Pilote God will be with us and security in the Successe the Rivers shall not overflow thee Or if you will take notice in the Text of these three generals Periculi suppositio an imminent danger supposed When thou passest through the waters Anxilii promissio eminent help promised I will be with thee Beneficii positio permanent safety assured they shall not overflow thee Yet once more and in this method I shall handle the text here is 1. The Churches outward condition that is dolorous When thou passest through the waters and through the rivers 2. Her safe preservation in that condition and that is joyous they shall not overflow thee 3 The effectual cause of her safe preservation in that afflicted condition namely Gods gracious presence I will be with thee It cannot be but the Saints of God should passe through waters though they passe through them yet they shall not be plunged into them and the reason of this safety is because God is with them those are the three rivulets into which the fountain of this text powrs it self through each of which whilest my discourse and your attention shall passe let our prayer be that Gods gracious presence may so be with us as the water of life may overflow our hearts and fructifie our lives to his glory and our comfort and so I begin with The Churches dolorous condition exprest in those words When thou passest through the waters There are two sorts of waters through which every Saint must passe the waters of contrition and affliction of inward sorrow end outward trouble those we may call the waters of Marah repentant tears being full of bitternesse and yet sweetned by casting in the tree of the crosse these the waters of Meribah caused through the spirit of contention in wicked men which makes them strive with and set themselves against Gods people to passe through those is our duty through these our misery to the one we are invited for the other we must be prepared those the Prophet Jeremy maketh the matter of his desire O that my head were waters and mine eyes a fountain of tears Jer. 9. these the Prophet David maketh the object of his complaint Hear me O God for the waters are come into my soul Psal. 69. Finally those God promiseth as a mercy to his people Jer. 31.6 They shall come with weeping and I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters indeed no coming unto God for mercy but by the waters of godly sorrow for our sins These are supposed in the text as a danger to which the Church hath alwaies been exposed in this life when thou passest through the waters Many are the resemblances to which the Scripture compares the afflictions of the Church but none more common then this of waters in the thirtieth of this Prophecy we finde bread and water joyned together the one whereof is eaten and the other drank to teach us that afflictions are as needfull for us as the food by which we are nourisht in this Verse we finde fire and water joyned together through both which the Church is forced to passe sometimes materially however analogically It is the observation of one upon the Text that the greatest dangers of life come to us from those things which are most needfull for us without water and fire life cannot be preserved and yet by them it is often endangered and surely as a man cannot live without these so neither can the Saints without affliction Nor only are afflictions in generall but persecutions in speciall represented by these waters so the Church groaning under the fury of her enemies cried out that the waters flowed over her Lam. 3.54 and Sions adversaries are called by the Psalmist proud waters Psal. 126.5 Nor do these waters only exp●●sse ordinary or easie but violent and outragious persecution Nullum elementorum aqua igni ad nocendum potentius Of all Elements fire and water are the most mercilesse and the water is more vehement then fire since fire may be quencht by water but waters cannot be resisted by any humane force thus are wicked mens oppressions full of cruelty The Wiseman saith That their tender mercies are cruelty how much more then their cruelties And as we finde

is with us and yet more fully the Church acknowledgeth this truth Psal. 124. If it had not been the Lord had been on our side when men rose up against us they had swallowed us up quick and the waters had overwhelmed us Indeed it is only an Almighty presence can command and stiil the ptoud waves The Story of Canutus once King of England is very memorable who sitting at a low water upon the river Thames commanded the water it should not come nigh him but the Tide returning ceased not to rise higher till it wet his feet whereupon he went home and set his Crown upon the Crucifix at Westminster It is none but God can stay the course of the water and it is the same hand must stop the current of wicked mens fury against his people thus God was with the three Worthies to quench the violence of the fire with Daniel to stop the mouths of Lions and with Jacob to bridle his Uncles envy 2. God is with us in the waters conservando as to bridle them so to preserve us Gods presence doth not secure from the water but in the water fond nature thinks that God should not let the winde blow upon his darlings and it was Gideons argument If the Lord be with us why hath all this befallen us Judges 6.13 Admirabatur quod simul starent haec duo viz. Deum esse cum eis pati eos tot mala He thought the presence of God and outward evils to be inconsistent he could not imagine that God should be nigh and trouble near too herein he shewed himself not skil'd tam Arte quam Marte and though a valiant souldier yet a bad Logician though God be with us yet the waters may come in upon us but not over us If God be with us who can be against us saith Saint Paul indeed who will not be against us but who so against us as to hurt us thus God is with us as Christ was with Peter when ready to sink into the Sea stretching forth his hand to uphold him The Lord is with us saith the Psalmist and what follows The God of Jacob is our Refuge Psal. 46.7 Divine presence exempts not from but is a refuge in the storm Moses expression is yet fuller The eternall God is thy Refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms Deuter. 33.27 A mans hand put under the chin keeps him from sinking into the water much more can the armes of a God uphold us in troubles and therefore these two are fitly joyned together Fear thou not for I am with thee I will strengthen thee yea I will help yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my Righteousnesse Isa. 41.10 3. God is with us in the waters consolando to co●●●●t our hearts and refresh our spirits in the midst of 〈◊〉 ●●●●ictions When the coldnesse of the 〈…〉 with flaggons of wine to revive us wh●n 〈…〉 ●ainting under trials he is at hand with 〈…〉 cherish us this David found verified in his own ●xperience when in the middest of the shadow of death he resolves to fear none ill because God was with him and his staffe did comfort him Psal. 23.4 Thus God stood by Paul when accused wrongfully by his enemies and breathed a word of comfort into his ears s●ying Be of good chear Acts 23.11 We reade Genesis 1.2 that the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters the Hebrew word is Emphat●call being a M●taphor from the Dove that sits upon h●r egges ch●●ishing them by her heat producing out of them a living creat●re like to her self ther●by signifying Praes●ntiam non qual●mcunque s●d amabilem peculiarit●r 〈◊〉 that ●miable and ●fficacious pres●nce of Gods Spirit which wrought so glorious a Fabrick out of that ●●de Ch●●s a ●it Embleme of the truth in hand it being the same Spirit that moves powerfully and comfortably upon the waters of affliction producing joyfull effects out of the saddest calamities that befall his people 4. God is with us in the waters dirigendo to steer our course guide our passage through the troubl●some waves what the cloud by day a●d the pillar of fire by night was to the Israelites when they passed through the desolate Desart into Canaan the same is Gods presence to his people while they wander through the wildernesse of this world to heaven David tels us God was with him by his rod as well as by his staff the Shepherds rod guides and governs the sheep so doth God in troubles direct his people When Jehoshaphat knew not what to do God was with him to advise and counsell what course he should take and when Elisha's servant saw no means of deliverance for his master and himself from the encompassing enemy God was with him at the Prophets praier to open his eyes that he might see his succour How oft is the Mariner when through the darknesse of the night or the strangenesse of the coast at a losse directed to steer his course by the appearing of a Star thus when Gods people are so environ'd about with waters that they can see no Land and darkned by clouds that they can see no light then doth his presence like a Star appear directing them in the way of safety 5. God is with us in the water eripiendo to deliver out of present trials and restore former or adde better comforts Friendly majesty is present to rescue oppressed innocency It is the promise which God himself makes to the beleeving soul I will be with him in trouble and what follows as the blessed effect of his presence but liberation and exaltation I will deliver him and honour him Psa. 91 15. It was the experience which the Church had of Gods falthfulnesse in accomplishing this promise we went through fire and water but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place Psal. 66.12 Thus is God with his people not only to comfort them in and support them under but to rescue them out and reward them after all their troubles according to that of the Prophet Jer. 30.11 I am with thee saith the Lord to save thee various and miraculous are the means which God useth to deliver his people out of the water Sometimes he provides an Ark as he did for Noah a Zoar as he did for a Lot a Cave as he did for the Prophets hiding his people from the raging waves the fury of their enemies Sometimes he sends a Nurse as he did for Moses to take him out of the waters he provides boards as he did for Paul and the rest of his company when the ship was split whereby they escaped safe to land he prepareth a Whale as for Jonah to swallow him that the Sea might not devour him and as Arion in Plutarch being cast into the waters by the cruel Mariners was brought to shore on a Dolphins back so he when thrown over-board by Gods justice was through his