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	work_v	7,291	5	7.3947	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03339	The doctrine of fasting and praier, and humiliation for sinne Delivered in sundry sermons at the fast appointed by publique authority, in the yeere 1625. By that late faithfull and worthy minister of Iesus Christ. Arth. Hildersam.	Hildersam, Arthur, 1563-1632.; Hildersam, Samuel, 1593 or 4-1674.	1633 (1633)	STC 13459; ESTC S104100	106,897	227

of heart wherin we are to be principall agents our selves for we may do much in this worke our selves are these 110 1. We must make choise of a fit time to goe about this worke 111 2. We must separate our selves from company and make choise of a fit place to doe it 118 3. We must seriously and impartially examine our owne hearts 119 4. We must cry earnestly to God to helpe us in this worke to blesse our indeavours in it 128 SERMON VIII NEcessary to have notes and signes given us whereby sincere and saving sorrow for sinne may be discerned 130 1. He that is truly humbled mournes more for the evill of sinne then for the evill of punishment 133 2. He mournes for sinne not so much in respect to himselfe as unto God because he is offended and dishonoured by his sinne 137 And 3. notes to try whether a man doth so 141. 142 THE AVTHOVRS Prayer before his Lecture THy Word O Lord is holy and pure as is thine owne Majesty and being sincerely preached worketh either to the salvation or condemnation of the hearers And we all that are heere assembled before thee at this time are of uncircumcised hearts and eares utterly unworthy by reason of that sinne wherein we were conceived and borne and of those actuall transgressions that wee have multiplyed against thy Majesty in thought word and deed from our first being untill this present houre once to set foot into thy Temple or to heare thy Word at all Vtterly unfit and unable by reason of our custome in sinne and the hardnesse of our hearts to profit by it when as we heare it So that Lord we are at this time in danger to be unprofitable hearers of thy holy Word and by being unprofitable bearers of the same we are in danger of thy heavy displeasure Yet forasmuch as it hath pleased thee in mercy to command us this exercise to appoint it to be the onely ordinary meanes whereby thou wilt worke Faith and repentance in thy children and the principall meanes whereby thou wilt increase them to promise also graciously that thou wilt accompany the outward ministery of thy Word with the inward grace and blessing of thy Spirit in the hearts of them that shall be reverently and faithfully exercised in the same We therefore in humble obedience to this thy holy commandement and in full affiance and confidence in this thy gracious promise are bold to present our selves before thee at this time Beseeching thee in thy sonnes blood to wash away all our si●●es so as they may never bee laid to our charge againe either in the world to come to our condemnation or at this time to bring a curse upon this our exercise Good Lord so sprinckle that blood of thy Sonne upon our consciences that we may be assured of thy love and favour towards us in him By it sanctify us at this time and thy word to our uses opening and enlightning our understanding so as we may be able to understand and conceave of thy word aright strenghtening our memories so as we may bee able to remember it softning our hard and stony hearts so as wee may be able to beleeve it to yeeld unto it to apply it to our owne soules to meditate and conferre thereupon to practise it in our lives and conversations to stirre up one another to the obedience thereof That this our exercise may tend to the increase of our knowledge and of our obedience of our Faith and of repentance the glory of thy blessed name and the everlasting comfort of our owne soules Heare us O Lord in these our requests in what else soever thou knowest good for us or any of thy Church for Iesus Christ his sake our Lord and only Saviour In whose name wee continue our prayers unto thee as he himselfe hath taught us Saying Our Father which art in Heaven c. SERMON I. AVGVST III. MDCXXV PSAL. 35. 13. But as for me when they were sicke my clothing was sackcloth I humbled my selfe with fasting and my prayer returned into mine owne bosome NOt to take up time in speaking of the former part of this Psalme these words have this coherence and dependance on that which went before David as a type of CHRIST having many mortall enemies doth in this Psalme by a Propheticall spirit pray against them or rather foretell what should befall them In this Verse and the former to shew what cause he had to do so he aggravateth their sin by their unthankfulnesse in dealing so badly with him that had deserved so well of them The parts of this Verse are two viz. a profession of 1. The kindnes he shewed to these men wherin observe the Time when he did it and the occasion he tooke to doe it When they were sicke Dutie wherby he expressed his love he prayed for them which is amplified by the extraordinary manner of it set forth by the Outward helpes he used in it Sackcloth Fasting Inward disposition of his mind in it he humbled or afflicted his soule 2. The successe and comfort he found in it Observe first Davids practise he was wont when these men were sicke to be affected with their misery which teacheth us that GODS people ought to take to heart the miseries and calamities of others the judgements of GOD that do befall others Se● for proofe of this both the examples of his servants and then GODS commandement also When Eliphaz Bildad and Zophar heard of Iobs misery they came to mourne with him Iob 2. 11. But he was a rare man for piety and authority also you will say see therefore another example of this duty performed towards them that were not so Did not I weepe for him that was in trouble saith Iob Chap. 30. 25. was not my soule grieved for the poore Yea see an example of this towards most wicked men Iudg. 21. 2. The people of Israel came to the house of GOD as we do now to professe their sorrow for the extreme misery that the wicked Benjamites were most justly fallen into Yea we are straityly charged by the LORD to do so to remember and thinke of them as if their case were our owne Remember them that are in bonds saith the Apostle Heb. 13. 3. as bound with them and them that are in adversity as being your selves also in the body Yea to do it with hearty commiseration Rom. 12. 15. Weepe with them that weepe Yea if the judgement be famous and exemplary we are commanded also to make publique and solemne profession as we do at this day that we are affected with their misery Levit. 10. 6. Let your brethren the whole house of Israel bewaile the burning which the LORD hath kindled Three speciall reasons and grounds there be for this Doctrine for we should take to heart the miseries and calamities of others First In respect had to them that are afflicted For admit they were not our fellow-members in CHRIST nor

and humbledst thy selfe before me and didst rent thy clothes and weep before me I have even heard thee saith the Lord. Wherein also we may observe how well God is pleased to see his people fall into these passions of feare and sorrow when he by his word doth rebuke and threaten them Which the Lord also professeth Esa. 66. 2. But to this man will I looke even to him that is poore and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my Word So when God hath shewed himselfe to bee angry and displeased with them by executing any of his judgements upon them they have then beene wont and it was their duty then to afflict their soules If her father saith the Lord of Miriam Num. 12. 14. had but spit in her face should shee not be ashamed seven dayes See a plaine proofe of this 2 Chron. 7. 13. If I send pestilence among my people if my people shall humble themselves and pray and seeke my face Marke not their owne losse by the judgement should trouble them so much as Gods anger and therefore in their prayer they seeke Gods face and favour above all things And this is very pleasing unto God to see his people humble themselves so under the strokes of his hand See a notable example of this 2 Chron. 12. 3 4. Shishak King of Egypt came against Ierusalem with a mighty Army and tooke the fenced Cities that pertained to Iudah and came to Ierusalem See what followed 2 Chron. 12. 6. The Princes of Israel and the King humbled themselves and they said the Lord is righteous And what followed upon that verse 7. And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves the word of the Lord came to Shemajah saying they have humbled themselves therefore I will not destroy them Thirdly When they have seene God dishonored by the sins of others then have they also mourned and afflicted their soules Ieremy professeth 13 17. If you will not heare my soule shall weep in secret places for your pride So David professeth that the Zeale of Gods house the inward vexation of his soule through zealous sorrow and indignation for the neglect and profanation of Gods worship had even eaten him up and consumed him Psal. 69. 9. Specially the foule sinnes that they have knowne in the places Townes Congregations Families where themselves lived So it is said of Lot 2 Pet. 2. 8. That righteous man dwelling among them in seeing and hearing vexed his righteous soule from day to day with their unlawfull deeds So Paul saith the Corinthians should have done 1 Cor. 5. 2. Ye are puffed up and have not rather mourned And see how highly God is pleased with this when his people can mourn for this cause Ezek. 9. 4. And the Lord said unto him that was clothed with linen and had the writers inkhorne by his side Goe through the midst of the City through the mids of Ierusalem and set a marke upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof Fourthly and lastly The chief cause why they have beene so given to mourning and weeping why they have afflicted themselves so much hath beene their owne sinnes whereby themselves have offended and dishonoured God This David professeth was the cause why his sorrow was continually before him he was sorry for his sinne Psal. 38. 16. 17. This was the cause why Mary Magdalen wept so abundantly that shee was able to wash Christs feet with her teares shee was a sinner Luk. 7. 37 38. This sorrow God wonderfully delights in more then in all outward worship whatsoever Psal. 51. 17. The Sacrifices of God are a broken spirit a broken and contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise Now come we to the second inquiry to find out the true causes and reasons of this why God should so much desire and delight to see His people humbled with sorrow to see them afflict and chasten their soules in this manner It is said of Him that He hath pleasure in the prosperity of His servants Psal. 35 27. that He doth not afflict willingly Lam. 3. 33. that in all the afflictions of His people He is afflicted Esa. 63. 9. And indeed it is true that our sorrowes in themselves please not God but onely in respect First of the causes and fountaines from whence they proceed that is 1. They are the worke of His owne Spirit It is the Spirit of God onely that gives to any man such a fleshy and soft heart as we may see by that promise Ezek. 11. 19. I will give them one heart and will put a new spirit within you and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and will give them an heart of flesh And I will powre upon them my spirit and they shall mourne abundantly saith the Lord Zach. 12. 10. And God must needs take pleasure in the worke of His owne grace and holy Spirit 2. These teares proceed from our love to God Kindnesse you know causeth teares more than any thing els so it is in this case Christ saith of the woman that wept so abundantly that she loved much Luke 7. 47. And that which makes men most of all to mourne for sinne is the Spirit of grace which perswades us of Gods free love to us and that Christ was pierced by and for us Zach. 12. 10. And this above many other workes of His Spirit God greatly delighteth in 1 Cor. 8. 3. If any man love God the same is knowne of Him Secondly In respect of the end that this sorrow tends unto the issue and effect of it the Lord greatly delighteth in it He seeth we have need of it 1 Pet. 1. 6. Now for a season if need be you are in heavinesse The Lord seeth it will do us much good and therefore He is so well pleased with it Eccles. 7. 3. By the sadnesse of the countenance the heart is made better 1. It makes us more capable of every grace of God and fitter to receive it As the vessell that is full can receive no good liquor but all is spilt that is powred upon it and the emptier it is the more it will receive So is it in this case Iam. 4. 6. God will give grace to the humble For knowledge Psal. 25. 9. The meeke will He teach His way and for comfort 2 Cor. 7. 6. God comforteth those that are cast downe 2. It worketh repentance unto salvation and the heart is never wont to be truly turned unto God and changed but the change begins here 2 Cor. 7. 10. Godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation not to be repented of 3. It makes Christ and Gods Word and Promises sweet unto us and all Gods mercies to relish well as hunger makes us relish our meat and thirst our drinke Prov. 27. 7. The full soule loatheth an hony-combe but to the hungry soule every bitter thing is sweet The prodigall when he had beene pinched with hunger