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	scripture_n	word_n	8,236	5	4.5228	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66105	The man of war a sermon preached to the Artillery Company at Boston on June 5, 1699, being the anniversary day for their election of officers / by Samuel Willard.	Willard, Samuel, 1640-1707.	1699 (1699)	Wing W2284_VARIANT; ESTC R31017	12,138	38

10. 1 2. A devout man and one that feared God c. And he sought to instil devotion as well as the Rules of Military Discipline into his Souldiers whence that Character given of one of them Verse 7. A devout Souldier of them that waited on him continually And though profaness and debauchery may possibly stupify mens Consciences and so render them fool-hardy and desperate yet out of doubt that man who dwells in peace with God who enjoys the inward serenity of a good Conscience and is always in his heart pressed for the Glory of God is best armed against the fear of death when called to run into the mouth of danger and stand in the midst of Confused noises and garments rolled in blood when he seeth a thousand fall at his fide and ten thousand at his right hand But I proceed We may then in the third place remark the time in which Solomon appointed the Israelites to be men of War Had it been in the days of David his Father who was so often called into the Field who was environed with enemies on all sides and against whom he fought many a bloody Battel it had not been so much nay it had been necessary But that Solomon whose very name importeth Peace and who was in his reign to be a Type of Christ who is called the Prince of Peace Isa 9. 6. Of whose reign it was predicted that the mountains should bring forth Peace to the People Psal 72. 3. And that in his days there should be abundance of Peace Vers 7. And who could himself say in his Letter to Hiram 1 King 5. 4. There is neither adversity nor evil occurrent That he should be so careful to have his Subjects trained up in arms is a thing very remarkable and it will instruct us in this DOCTRINE It is a great point of Prudence in times of Peace to make Provision for War Prudence is a natural foresight of future Contingencies and providing our selves accordingly against the danger of them Prov. 27. 12. The Prudent fore seeth the evil and hideth himself Although the Providence of God Governeth and infallibly determineth all Contingencies yet they do not for that cease to be Contingencies as to the order of Second causes among which Peace and War have their Revolutions though known to God yet casual to us Eccl. 3. 8. A time of War and a time of Peace So that Peace is never so setled but that War may on a sudden arise and security which is the mother of negligence always exposeth a people unto danger It is an ill time when the Trumpet of War is sounded and Hannibal is at the gates for a people then to have their Forts to build their Arms Ammunition and Provision to seek and their Souldiers Untrained Nor is it less hazardous when once Peace is proclaimed for men to let their Fortifications fall hang up their Arms and let them grow rusty and useless and lay aside their Military exercises as things superfluous Arms are for the maintaining of Peace as wel as the suppressing of War for its preservation as well as recovery Nor will any thing strike more of terrour into our ill willers than to see us always ready for the worst hence such an expression Cant. 6. 10. Terrible as an army with Banners Whereas if they who watch for an advantage find us Laish like secure and no way provided nor expecting evil they will be ready to serve us as the Tribe of Dan did them Judg. 18. 27. They came unto Laish unto a People that were quiet and secure and they smote them with the edge of the Sword and burnt the City with fire It was an argument used by Asa that because all was quiet before them and God had given them rest it was their wisdom to take the Opportunity to build Cities and make walls and towers about them as if they had expected an attack from enemies 2 Chron. 14. 6 7. He did not think it to be an evidence of a strong faith for men to neglect the means on pretence of trusting in God The best way to prevent the occasion of using the Sword in earnest is to keep it always bright and surbished USE Which Consideration might be improved both for Rebuke Caution It hath doubtless been a fault among us that this Rule of Prudence hath been so poorly attended Peace hath bred Security and times of Trouble have found us unready and the most of our Surprizes and Defeatments by the Enemies have deserved to be imputed to this I spare to enumerate the many instances that are at hand Of how many of our surprized Garrisons in which our people have been miserably butchered may that of the Poet be asserted Invadunt urbem somno Sepultam And there have been complaints made that our very Trainings have been too often idle Complements or at least that there hath been in them too much neglect of and too little proficiency in the things that are properly designed by them And be we warned not to fall asleep because the Sword of War is at present sheathed remembring that the Book of the Histories of the Wars of the Lord is not yet compleated nor will be till the great Battel of Armageddon is fought Babylon is not yet fallen The Churches Adversaries are still in their strength God will call out his Armies e're long and then Cursed will he be who cometh not forth to the help of the Lord against the mighty Nor are we our selves secure and though it is but a little that we can do for our own safety and if God be not on our side we are an easy prey to any potent Devourer yet the Faith that nourisheth negligence is not indeed Faith but Presumption There is yet one farther Improvement of this Text which I would make and it will comprize the whole Auditory under it and give to every one their portion and that is the Mystical aim of this Typical Scripture in which I am satisfied that I shall not go beyond the mind of the Spirit of God in this part of the Scripture History Israel over whom Solomon Reigned were the then Visible Church of God and although not a Type of the Gospel Church in the strict sense of the word yet Gods treating with them in the Ceremonial and Judicial Law was in a more large and true sense Typical having under it a dark representation of Spiritual Things which were more fully to be revealed afterwards and so they have a more peculiar respect to the Church of Gods Chosen and Elected As Solomon was in a more peculiar respect the King of the Nation of Israel he so represented Christ as King of Gods true Israel and we are here given to understand what order he taketh about them or what business he assigns for them as they were the Subjects of this Kingdom Here then Observe this DOCTRINE Every true Israelite in the Kingdom of Grace is a Man of War The true

Christian is a Souldier In the Visible Gospel Kingdom there are two sorts of men Israelites only in name and Israelites indeed The former are in truth Canaanites and Slaves mancipated to Sin and Satan but the latter are emancipated by Christ and Enrolled in his Army There are two States of Christ's Spiritual Kingdom which give it a double denomination the one is called the Kingdom of Grace the other the Kingdom of Glory according to which States the Church which is the Subject of them hath the Titles of Militant and Triumphant assigned to it To the former of these our Doctrine refers The Church under the Kingdom of Grace is Militant and every Regenerate one is born a man of Contention Jer. 15. 10. but when once they pass over to the Church Triumphant they shall be discharged Jerusalem which is above is free Time forbids my giving any more than a cursory view of this Affair I shall therefore only offer a few rude lines of a Christian under the Character of a Souldier Angels and men were at first made Subjects of the Divine Government and had Sworn Allegiance to their Lord Creator which had they retained they had enjoyed perpetual uninterrupted peace nor had they ever beard the sound of the Trumpet or alarm of War But there were many Legions of those Caelestial Inhabitants who not contented with their Post contrived and consented in a revolt from their Soveraign and by a malicious wile drew poor man into the Rebellion with them whereupon they are proclaimed Rebels and Gods Holiness Justice and Omnipotency are armed to take Vengeance on them Thus were briars and thorns set in battel array against a consuming fire God resolving to have War for ever with these Apostate Spirits did yet graciously offer a Treaty of Peace and Reconciliation to miserable man which he hath maintained where and as he sees meet with some of the Race ever since So that though Satan be the God of this World and Sways the Scepter over all the Children of Disobedience yet God hath set up a Kingdom of Grace in the midst of the other and draws over Subjects from it to himself whom he perswadeth to desert the Colours of Hell and put themselves under the banners of Christ the Captain of our Salvation Of this number is every true Israelite who by the Efficacious operation of the Spirit in him is turned from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God and now though he is by this great Change made an Heir of Glory and Entituled to an Everlasting Crown yet there is a Race to be run in which he must Fight a good Fight and keep the Faith in despite of all that Would rob him of it He must press through Armies of Aliens who would stop up his way and will make him to dispute for every inch of Ground that he gaineth The Kingdom is his but if he will possess it he must take it by force He hath furious adversaries enraged with malice against him and with united Conspiracy and Force attempt his ruine if possible There is the Flesh within burning with rage against his Grace and ever lying entrenched about and beleaguaring of it us the word translated contrary Gal 5. 17. intimates a Law in his Members continually warring against the Law in his mind and using all its Stratagems to make a Captive of him Rom. 7. 23. the lusts of the flesh which we are assured do ever Fight against the Soul 1 Pet. 2. 11. There is Satan his sworn Adversary whose ancient and inveterate enmity makes him always furiously to attempt his destruction and he is unweariedly going about seeking to devour 1 Pet. 5. 8. He no sooner forsook the Devils quarters but Hell was Alarumed with it and from that very moment bends all its forces to do him all the mischief it can the Devil is for that reason emphatically called The Enemy And there is the World which therefore hates him because he is not of it The Seed of the Serpent is full of enmity against the Seed of the Woman and as it was of old be that was born after the Flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit so it is now If he will overcome these Enemies he must resist them stedfastly in the Faith 1 Pet. 5. 9. we have the whole adverse party represented in their Colours Eph. 6. 12. we wrestle not against Flesh and Blood i. e. not them singly and alone but against principalities against powers against the Rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickednesses in high places These must all be vanquished if ever we expect to Triumph for the promise still runs to him that overcometh Rev. 2. 3. and though all our hope of success depends on our great General Jesus Christ who must bruise these enemies under our feet yet he requires us to stand our ground and to fight under him For this end he hath provided us with the whole armour of God and requireth us to put it on and exercise our selves in it Eph. 6. 13. There is the Helmet of Salvation the Breast-plate of Righteousness the Shield of Faith the Sword of the Spirit and the rest There are the holy Tackticks or the Rules given us in the Scriptures by which we may be taught how to use these in the Holy War that so we may strive lawfully and receive the Prize There are the Military Vertues which we are advised to inure our selves unto Temperance and Vigilancy 1 Pet. 5. 8. be sober be vigilant Hardiness 2 Tim 2. 3. as a good Souldier of Christ endure hardness Circumspection Eph. 5. 15. see that you walk circumspectly Fidelity Rev. 2. 10. be thou faithful unto death Skill in all the enemies stratagems 2 Cor. 2. 11. ye are not ignorant of his devices Courage and Constancy Eph. 6. 14. Stand and there is the premium or prize hung up in the promise to animate our resolution and recruit our fainting spirits when at any time we find them beginning to droop USE I. Let this serve to warn and caution such as pretend to be listed among God's Israel such as covet to bear the stile title of Christians It is indeed a worthy name and no small honour to those that bear it and carry themselves worthy of it nor indeed can there be a greater lignity conferred on the Children of men Christs Servants are his Free-men yea his friends yea they are priviledged to be the Children of God Joh. 1. 12. But he would have you to fit down and compute the cost If you would be his Servants you must be his Souldiers and be not deceived in your expectations and reckonings lest you repent when you see War as there is hazard you should do if not prepared Exod. 13. 17. Lest when you meet with hardships and difficulties you do as the mixed multitude in the Wilderness did Numb 11. 4. Weep and fell on lusting And as the Congregation of Israel