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	heart_n	receive_v	5,822	5	5.5335	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64466	A fast of Gods chusing plainly opened for the help of those poor in spirit, whose hearts are set to seek the Lord their God in New-England, in the solemn ordinance of a fast : wherein is shewed, 1, the nature of such a fast, 2, the testimony God will give thereunto of his gracious acceptance, 3, the special seasons wherein God will bear witness to such a fast, 4, some helps to faith that is shall be so, 5, why such a fast is so acceptable and succesfull, 6, how much this concerns Gods people in New-England : preached on a fast called by publick authority, on 26, 1[6]74 / by Thomas Thacher...	Thacher, Thomas, 1620-1678.; Mather, Increase, 1639-1723.	1678 (1678)	Wing T830; ESTC R9807	27,462	32

and those that are under the powerfull command of seeking his face should seek his face in vain but saith God I have not said to the seed of Jacob seek ye my face in vain Isa 45. 1● 2. The gracious promises that are before us are a sufficient security that a Fast that God hath chosen shall bring such gracious acceptation as those eight promises mentioned and also Psal 50. 15. Call upon me on the day of trouble and I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me And so 1 Kin. 8. 38. with many other verses before and after and Christ himself also promiseth that whatsoever ye shall ask in his name he will do it for you c. John 14 14. 3. The manner of Gods dealing with his servants establisheth this truth unto us Psal 119. 132. 133. c. Be mercifull unto me as thou usost to doe to those that love thy name 4. That God doth not suffer the Fastings and the Prayers of others when they are hearty though not spiritual to goe without their reward The young Ravens shall not cry unto him but he will take care of them he respects a very Ahab that sold himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord 1 Kin. 21. 25. and yet v. 29. Because he humbleth himself before me I will not bring the evil in his dayes And so when Nineveh humbled themselves he saved them from destruction though it was against the very grain of the soul of Jonah Jon. 3. 10 Lastly It must needs be so because there is nothing stands in the way to hinder it A Fast that God hath chosen removes all impediments that stand in the way of mercy the great obstruction is some sin committed or some habitual impenitency remaining for when the heart is truly humbled and broken the soul is prepared for some degree of mercy wherein the acceptation of the Suppliant may be made manifest Thus of the fourth general Head V. The next thing is the Reason why God will do thus for his people upon their fasting the Fast which God hath chosen I answer 1. Negatively not for any inherent excellency in their fastings and prayers or services for what benefit hath God by our humbling our selves laying aside our Ornaments so humbling our bodies or by our diligent attention to external actions but positively I shall give you three reasons of it Reas 1. Because it is a Fast that he hath chosen and therefore it is so succesfull were it of mans chusing it might be disappointed and yet God not dishonoured but he chuseth it and appoints it and now Gods honour lyes at stake for a gracious answer It was the glory of God in Israel to be manifestly near to that people in all they called upon him for c. Reas 2. Because the persons are accepted if such persons and therefore their offerings are accepted also The Petition of a favourite is not easily rejected by the Prince especially being such a Petition as his Prince hath chosen and appointed for him They are in a state of favour with God and therefore their Petitions must needs be successful The spiritual Sacrifices of this royal holy Priesthood are acceptable to God by Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 2. 5. Reas 3. Because there is an admirable misterious Communion between God the Father Son and holy Ghost and the right Suppliant or the person that fasts in the fast which God hath chosen for 1. there is not an holy prayer put up unto God but its Original is God the Father that prayer of Faith which proceeds from the heart of a Christian was 1. In the heart of God the Father and he through the Intercession and Mediation of his Son sends it down by his holy Spirit into the heart of a poor sinner and so stamps the Image of it upon the heart of the poor sinner that he believes and then the Holy Ghost that stamped it there takes it from thence and presents this through Christ unto the Father then the Fathers heart is to give forth the answer through the Intercession of the Son and to give notice of it to the Soul of a Christian by his holy Spirit And when thou hast received the answer the same Spirit works in thy heart to return praise and Thanksgiving by the Son unto the Father so that here is a marvellous spiritual mysterious Communion in this between God the Father Son and holy Ghost the poor believer therefore such fasting cannot be in vain Thus of the fifth general head 6. Of what concernment this may be unto our selves and truly it is of very great concernment We are the people that do succeed Israel We are Jacob. Gods people that are under the same profession as the Lord speaks of them here ver 2. that seek God dayly and delight to know his wayes this is our profession we are a Nation that seek Justice that is our plea that we must do right and not forsake the Ordinances of our God this I say is our profession that we are bound to hearken after Gods will and enquire after the Ordinances of Justice we are they that by our dayly practice in appearing before God in solemn Assemblies profess that we delight to approach to him therefore we are they that have need to take notice of this great and solemn Truth that the Fast that is not of Gods chusing will be ineffectual but that which is of Gods chusing will prevail and that to five or six ends 1. To build us up in knowledge there are great misteries contained in this Truth I shall touch those that are of present consideration 1. It teacheth you that there is a vast difference between duty and duty between religious performances and religious performances that which is spoken of fasting reaches through the whole body of Religion there is a prayer that God hath chosen and a prayer that God hath not chosen and so this or that Ordinance or observation there is that which God will own and accept there is that which he will not countenance nor bless our God is a God that will be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth the manner and the end of our worship discovers what the nature of that service is or of that particular religious act which we put forth towards him look then to your own Spirits in your worship of God as it is said of the person worshipping so it is true of the worship he is not a Jew that is one outwardly but he that is one inwardly Rom. 2. last verse whose praise is not of men but of God you may be outwardly a Christian and inwardly an heathen in the sight of God all these are uncircumcised in heart sayes the Prophet when he reckons up the Nations together with Judah you may be a Heathen in heart whilest you are in the outward man a Christian your Circumcision may become uncircumcision before God alas what 's an outward Baptisme if your

Souls never reach after spiritual Baptisme if there be the washing with water without the Laver of Regeneration and the renewing of the holy Ghost can you rest in that or will God take pleasure in it What is it for you to eat the Lords Supper and not to eat the Lord who is that Supper that is to receive Christ therein by Faith mind the Spirit with which and the end for which you wait upon God in holy Ordinances What is your prayer if it be not the prayer which God hath chosen it's but the expression or voyce of a lust that will not be accepted of God Jam. 4. 3. you ask and have not because you ask amiss that you may consume it upon your lusts there are many mock services whereby mock-Christians mock God in their profession This is a sad mistery but necessary to be known there is a form of godliness without power this is to make an Image to your selves and to feed upon husks and to deceive your own Souls with shadows which will profit nothing If you think to put off God with outside services such have a form of godliness but deny the power thereof 2 Tim. 3. 5. from such turn away 2. It concerns us to know how hard it is to awaken a secure sinner that is covered under a form of godliness take a profane person and the whole power of common Light and common principles of humanity will fall in with the conviction of his miserable lost condition tell a Drunkard that he shall drink in Hell for this his conscience tells him so when he is sober So an Adulterer his Conscience being awakened tells him he shall suffer Eternal Torment for his moments pleasure So a griging person his Conscience falls in with the Conviction but a man under a form of godliness without the power thereof hath a ready salve for every sore he stops his Ears with his Tongue and becomes as the deaf Adder hence saith God unto this people Is this the Fast that I have chosen and inculcates it again and again It is not the Fast that I have chosen c. and calls upon the Prophet ver 1. Cry aloud cry out in thy throat spare not lift up thy voyce like a Trumpet that thou mayst awaken them to the consideration of their sin 3. It concerns us to know that all our spiritual duties services must come to the trial God will not only call us to account for all our open wickedness gross acts of Transgression but will try every service we perform Is this the Fast that I have chosen sayes God was it such a prayer such a participation in this or that Ordinance Is this your Conference are these the holy meetings are these the Sabbaths thus God will ask you and God will accept none of your Services but they must pass through Gods tryal Therefore we have need to examine our own Services and our hearts in them you are in your Closets meditating but is this the meditation God hath chosen for Spirit for matter for manner you are crying and praying but is this the prayer that God hath chosen you are reproving counselling admonishing your Children or others but is it in the way that God hath chosen you are dealing with your Neighbour or brother for some Transgression but is it such an admonition as God hath chosen remember that all your actions must come under this question whether or no they are such as God hath chosen I chuse out their way for them sayes Job of the time when he was as King among them so if Christ be your King he shall chuse your way for you and you will chuse the things that please the Lord and will not take any contentment in that which doth not answer the Lords expectation 2. As it is of great concernment for our knowledge so it concerns us for our examination trial to try our wayes before the Lord our God if God will try our fastings prayers other services we had need to try examine our selves To judge our selves is the way to prevent Gods Judgements Briefly examine we our selves concerning this our present Fast is it a Fast which God hath chosen as to our preparation for it have you had solemn and serious thoughts concerning the way of Gods providence concerning your persons your Families your Relations c. have you considered your own Transgressions before God the great cause you have had of deep humiliation before God in respect of them The defect of this is a failing of Gods expectation in the beginning however you may obtain in the procedure have you been careful to abstain from natural necessary comforts refreshings further then necessity in respect of infirmity calls for and hath your abstinence proceeded from inward self-abhorrency because of your sins Extream grief takes away the appetite to eating and drinking All the self denying acts that are required in a Fast are to proceed from a deep affliction of heart otherwise it is but a shallow performance of no worth with God It is therefore called the afflicting of the soul and if it doe not come from Soul-affliction it will be very unprofitable unacceptable Again are we real are our hearts through with God in that solemn profession we make in such a day as this Are you indeed sensible of your sins whereby you have provoked the Lord Our particular sins the sins of our Familyes towns Churches and the sins of the Country Doe we sincerely look out to God in Jesus Christ for the Spirit of Repentance Is it his grace indeed that we look unto for help and succour and that in the very mediation of Christ Jesus through his death and blood-shed Where is that spiritual self-abhorrency that should act and carry an end these holy services Is there indeed a forgiving spirit When you come before God are not your hearts many of you full of wrath anger are you meekened like lambs before the Lamb of God in your holy offerings Doe you present your selves upon that Altar which is the Lamb Or do you fast for strife and debate longing to be at it again that you may manifest your displeasure when the time is over And is there in you a spirit of compassion and working of bowels toward the poor and needy whilst you are seeking mercy from God Do you oblige and ingage your hearts to return to God and to reform what is amiss in your persons Families Churches c. according to the object of your work where you may have influence to the utmost of your power The Lord help us solemnly to examine our selves for if it be not thus with us it 's not the Fast which God hath chosen and mind what your sin is 1. It 's like the worshipping of an Idol you have turned an holy Ordidinance into loathsome Idolatry as I may speak with holy reverence you have carried it towards God as if