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	work_n	7,151	5	5.4540	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56658	The epitome of man's duty being a discourse upon Mic. 6.8, where hypocritical people are briefly directed how to please God.	Patrick, Simon, 1626-1707.	1660 (1660)	Wing P795; ESTC R203168	52,419	134

meer mercy and benevolence This humility is the greatest ornament and the fairest of all the graces in Gods sight We never look more beautiful then when we blush at our own defects and dare not cast our eyes confidently upon God The highest act of Faith is a piece of the lowest humility When we rely most upon Gods mercy we utterly disclaim all our own merits But as that act of Faith whereby we cast our selves on Gods mercy is not all the acts of it but supposes many others foregoing even so it is in this act of humility whereby we acknowledge our selves unworthy to receive any reward from Gods hand It is so far from being all the humility that God requires that there must precede all the other acts which I have mentioned before this can take its place Many men can easily disclaim all trust in their own righteousness because they have none to trust in But they are truly humble men that are just and righteous and yet trust not in that for their acceptance with God to salvation You cannot say that a man is wise because he holds his peace when he is dumb and tongue-tyed But he is a wise person who can speak well and yet silently hearkens No more can he be deemed poor in spirit who hath no riches nor treasures in his soul to brag of but he only who is enriched with knowledge and faith and love and all good works and yet is lowly in heart poor in his own thoughts and acknowledges that he is but an unprofitable servant Now all this is but just The justice and goodness of all this because of our dependance on God his superiority over us and his excellency above us On all which when we look we must say with Job 42.5 6. Now mine eye seeth thee and therefore I abhor my self and repent in dust and ashes And it is no less good then it is just For first He that lyes low lyes safe He cannot fall far who stands on the ground but whether can he fall who lyes already upon it We shall not be in danger to tumble down from great hopes and expectations if we be so humble as to have no high opinion of our selves and deservings The lowest valleys are the safest from wind and storms and God hath promised to preserve the meek and that they shall inherit the earth Who will harm modest and submissive persons that had rather put up an injury then do any that are loving peaceable and quiet in the Land None but those against whom no men be defended And secondly He that lyes low is most fruitful The mountains are commonly barren and the valleys are most richly laden For the Lord resists the proud but he gives grace to the humble And thirdly He that lyes low is blessed from above with all that is good for him The less he expects the more he shall have the more unworthy he judges himself to be the more fit he is to have his emptiness filled The showres that run of from the high heads of mountains run down into the bosom of valleys Most of heavens plenty falls into the lowest places and so do most of Gods favours and blessings fall into humble souls They that behave themselves as it becomes them in meekness moderation obedience modesty c. God will make good his Word unto them The meek shall eat and be satisfied and praise the name of the Lord They shall lye down and none shall make them afraid He will keep them in perfect peace in a sweet serenity and quiet of Spirit He will exalt them in due time and open even the gate of heaven unto them not to pour down blessings on them as now he doth but to receive them up to his blessings This discourse would swell too much if I should particularly show the goodness of every one of the fore-mentioned acts of humility and therefore it shall suffice to have given these light touches upon some of them NOW if these things be so as I have discoursed Application then first let us begin to put in practice a part of the duty last mentioned Be humbled for sins against these commands by being deeply humbled for all our sins against these plain and familiar commands Let every man search into himself how far he hath gone along with the stream for it is manifest that covetousness and oppression hard heartedness and cruelty pride and irreligion have come in like a flood upon us in this Nation and born many away before them As for Justice we may take up the complaint of Petrarch concerning the Age wherein he lived that hunters and fowlers use not greater cunning in laying their nets and snares for wild beasts and fowls then crafty men do to inveigle and insnare the simple and plain-meaning people Or we may say with one of his Countrey-men which is now become a proverb in Italy That by deceit and cunning men live half the year and by cunning and deceit the other half And Mercy is such a stranger to mens hearts that we count him a person of great tenderness that will not deceive us at all and a very merciful creature who will not deceive us as much as he can So little kindness and good nature is stirring that we are apt to suspect them of designs who make much of us and we dare scarce receive mens courtesies And what is a great deal of our Religion but an humoursom kind of devotion a proud self conceited pleasing of our selves with a fastidious contempt of all others Where is that awefulness in mens countenances when they converse with God that tenderness of heart at the mention of any of his commands that bewailing of their sins that patience peaceableness acceptance of the punishment of their iniquities that ought to appear We may almost say with this Prophet in the next Chapter The good man is perished out of the earth Mic. 7.2 and there is none upright among men For could there be so much spoil think you committed in the midst of us and no injustice Such estates so quickly gotten and no covetousness So much blood shed and no hatreds So many contentions quarrels and hot disputes and no uncharitableness So many vain opinions and no pride Such unsteadiness in the wayes of God and no self-conceitedness in mens hearts Such contempt of the Ministry and all that is sacred and no irreligion We must begin therefore to amend by acknowledging these sins and seriously bemoaning them either in our selves or others But our amendment must not end here Amend in all these things nor must we think by blubbered eyes and lamentable groans to draw God to be a party with us in these sins No we must sincerely proceed to a practice of all these duties which the Prophet and our own consciences loudly call for and the rather because they have been so much laid aside and neglected or at least some of them set up to