Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A58035
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The morning seeker, shewing the benefit of being good betimes with directions to make sure work about early religion, laid open in several sermons / by John Ryther.
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Ryther, John, 1634?-1681.
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1673
(1673)
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Wing R2441; ESTC R10584
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92,848
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250
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an easie yoke by giving them to see a difference betwixt this yoke and the yoke of Satan And now sayes the poor Soul the yoke of Satan would have prest me down to Hell I should have drawn my self damned in the Devils yoke and O now how heavy do I feel it My sins are gone over my head as a burden yea as too heavy a burden for me to bear O now when a poor sinner compares yokes and burdens O how easie doth Christ's yoke become 4. The Lord Jesus Christ doth encourage young Seekers by giving them hearts to wait upon him and sweetly and secretly renewing their strength in waiting on him While there is a waiting Spirit there is encouragement this was the great encouragement of Jacob's Soul a wrestling frame was kept up in him Where-ever a Soul continues a waiter and wrestler there is hope it will come off conquerour therefore we read of that blessed Promise Isa 40.30 31. The youths shall faint and the young men shall utterly fall but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength strength comes in upon your waiting You young waiters he will not let you wait upon him for nothing if your hands wax weak he will strengthen them there shall be a secret invisible strength sent in that shall still keep you waiting O but may Souls say we shall be weary after a while for all this O no poor Souls you shall run and not be weary walk and not faint a poor young runner shall hold on and hold out That word in the Psalms is of the like comfort Psal 27. ult to waiters Wait on the Lord and be of good courage and he shall strengthen thy heart I say wait on the Lord. O but sayes the poor Soul I am discouraged I know not what to do I shall sink under them wait on the Lord and what then the Lord will strengthen thee in waiting against all thy temptations both within and without the Lord is good to them that wait for him and thou shalt find it so 5. The Lord doth encourage the souls of young Seekers by giving them tastes of his love for many times at first conversion he gives more of it than he doth afterwards this is to encourage Souls and draw them on more to love him and seek him and follow after him When the Prodigal came newly home at his first return O how he treated him Bring forth the best robe and put it on him and a ring on his hand and shooes on his feet If the Lord should not give young Seekers some sweet tastes of his love they would be discouraged in seeking after him But now they that taste how good and gracious the Lord is they come unto him 6. The Lord Jesus doth encourage the Souls of young Seekers by passing by and pardoning their infirmities in their approaches to him and graciously accepting and owning what is his There is something of Gods and something of their own in every duty and a great deal of their own to a little of Christs a great deal of dross to a little silver a great deal of water to a little wine and O sayes the poor young Seeker I am discouraged will the Lord accept of such an offering as this If thou shouldst offer this to thy Governour would he accept of it O poor Soul see what he sayes I have eaten my honey with my honey comb not only the honey but the comb because of the dross he doth not refuse all he knows how to separate the comb from the dross the infirmities of a duty from any thing of the spirit in a duty he will pick out what is his own and pardon what is thine 7. The Lord Jesus doth encourage the Souls of young Seekers by helping them to believe the precious Promises made to them There are not more precious Promises made to any sort of sinners or sort of people than to young Seekers after Christ. Is not this a precious Promise in the Text Of all persons you shall not be disappointed you shall seek and find â—â—â— 40.11 He shall carry the Lambs in his bosome and gather them with his arm and shall gently lead them that are with young O what a Soul-reviving-Promise is this are not Lambs weak creatures but in his bosome shall they get both warmth and strength The old Proverb shall not hold in this case The weakest go by the walls if they cannot go he can carry them and not carry them on his back but in his bosome which is the easiest carriage and the safest carriage O what a sweet shepherd is this that nourishes his Lambs in his bosome And is not that also a rich and glorious Promise A bruised Reed shall he not break nor shall he quench the smoaking flax until he bring judgement unto victory O poor Soul can there be greater encouragements than in this Promise What is a weaker thing than a bruised Reed what is a poorer thing than smoaking flax soon extinguished soon trodden out but the Lord will make weak ones strong weak Grace shall be victorious Grace thou art a poor weak worm it may be the Lord chooses things that are not to confound things that are 8. The Lord encourages such as are young Seekers of him by watering the buddings of his own Grace in their Souls Grace is so tender a plant that it will live in no soyle where it is not well watered it cannot be in any soyle but it must be watered He takes notice of the buddings of the Pomegranate or the opening of it When a poor soul begins first in its openings to desire after Jesus Christ in its faith in its love to Christ O then these are watered with precious quickning influences from above which makes them spring up and grow apace he breaths upon his young plants Blow O south mind that the spices may flow out these breathings are influences from the Spirit 1. Reason why the Lord Jesus Christ doth encourage young Seekers because in their first setting out to seek Christ they meet with most temptations O now when Satan is like to lose his prey how doth this greedy Lion roar when he sees he is like to be disappointed how doth he follow the Soul with wrath and rage Now the greater the rage of Satan is against poor Souls the more bowels hath Christ yearning towards them as it is his great office to succour those that are tempted When Christ was born in Jerusalem there was a great uproar O poor Soul thou wondrest what is the matter there is an uproar a tumult in thy own Spirit a combate within and thou begin'st to be restless in Spirit look'st up to God in this condition O what if Christ be forming in thy soul There are two things make Satan bestir himself against morning Seekers 1. It is his envy he is the envious one he envies the good and happiness of every poor Soul therefore he pursues thee
others oppositions within and without Now where there is a principle of Grace when under opposition it will seek so much the more importunately after Christ The Disciples discouraged the poor woman of Canaan saying Send her away a great discouragement but she cryed the more Opposition meeting with Grace doth but prove like cold water upon good coales make them burn the brighter Usually at thy first looking out after Christ opposition will meet thee but then let such opposition send you to Christ 2. Reason why morning Seekers shall be certain finders because they are diligent Seekers and the Promise runs unto diligent seeking He that comes unto God Heb. 11.6 must believe that God is and that he is a rewarder of such as diligently seek him It is not the slothful Seeker that shall be the certain finder no no the desire of the sluggard kills him 1. Morning Seekers are diligent Seekers now they see the worth of what they seek none can seek diligently but such O now they seek the Lord Jesus in the sense of the worth of him When we know the worth of that we seek we will seek diligently Ask these Seekers what Christ is worth and they will tell you ten thousand worlds he is the pearl of price chiefest of ten thousands 2. Morning Seekers are diligent seekers because now they are convinced of the worth of their Souls for the good of which they seek Persons will never seek diligently until they come to see the preciousness of their immortal souls Can a man be too diligent in the business of his Soul Did ever you hear of any repented them of their diligence in working out of their salvation with fear and trembling when they came to die Have you ever known any who have cryed out what a fool was I to pray so much to live so holily to take up so much of my time about my immortal soul Ask a poor Soul why it is so diligent at first seeking Christ and it will tell you I never saw the worth of my Soul before I am now seeking out for my Soul and if I do not find I am a lost undone Soul to all Eternity 3. Morning Seekers are diligent Seekers because they now know the evil dayes are coming upon them Eccl. 12.1 in which they will be unfit to seek him dayes of sickness dayes of affliction it may be temptations and tryals they seek while it is to day because when night comes there will be no seeking 4. They know there is a day in which he will not be found Isa 99.6 Seek the Lord while he may be found and call upon him while he is nigh O sayes the morning Seeker the time is coming when it will be too late the gate of Mercy will be shut the bridge of Mercy drawn and the Soul is afraid of delaying and dallying upon that account 5. Morning Seekers are diligent Seekers because they are convinced now of the great need of Christ O now they see and say they are undone and lost for ever if they miss of the Lord Jesus What makes persons diligent in seeking but when they see a need of what they seek Do not they need a Christ that see they are undone to all Eternity if they have not a Christ 3. Reason why morning Seekers will be certain finders the Promise runs to them what plainer than this word in my Text They shall find me They that seek shall find He never said to the Seed of Jacob seek ye my face in vain And he is faithful that hath promised Let this encourage you that you are under a Promise Application Is it so that morning Seekers shall be sure and certain finders Then it is a word of Inquiry Why or what should be the reason so many poor morning Seekers are complaining they find not him whom their Souls love as the Spouse did I sought him but I found him not And so many poor Souls are complaining I sought Christ so long but I know not that I have found him to this day 1. Reason why Jesus Christ is not at present found of morning Seekers he will exercise their Graces by it he had a design upon the Spouse to exercise her Grace by withdrawing from her 1. Sayes Christ I will try whether this poor Soul love me or no Love is a waiting Grace whether this poor Soul can wait and enquire Saw you him whom my Soul loves 2. Christ by this tryes their faith faith will continue seeking though at present it doth not find Isa 8.17 I wait upon the Lord who hides his face from the house of Jacob. 2. The Lord Jesus is not found at present of morning Seekers to draw out their Souls in longings after him The more a poor seeker of Christ seems to be denied the more is his Soul enflamed with ardent desires Thus did Christ with the Spouse when he had withdrawn himself the watchmen smote her took away her veil from her Yet her Spirit was raised the more after Christ to enquire after him Thus often it is with morning Seekers after Christ 3. The Lord Jesus is not at present found of morning Seekers because he will let the Soul see it is only his free Grace that must be adored and admired in finding Christ Morning Seekers would be sacrificing else to their nets and dosing incense to their own drags and stroaking self upon the head and saying this is my praying this is my mourning this is my being early up in the morning O now he will have the Soul know that it is of the riches of his Grace that he is found of those that seek him 4. Jesus Christ is not found at present of morning Seekers because he will try whether their hearts be upright with himself Many poor Souls begin to seek Christ but it is but for a time temporary seekers and afterwards they are offended with one thing or other then they draw back that is a note of a rotten heart I dare say thou wert never right at heart Christ-ward that turnest off and lookest back upon some offence taken against Christ I doubt there be many hypocritical Seekers it is no wonder if such be not finders 5. Jesus Christ is not at present found of morning Seekers because they are many times too legal in their seeking him I mean they seek him too much in a way of works as Israel of old did Now he would acquaint poor Souls with the way of faith to seek him in a way of believing this is the only way of seeking Christ 2. Word of Inquiry If that morning Seekers shall be certain finders of Christ then how comes it to pass that so many of them after a while give over turn their backs on the way of God and apostatize from that they once profest O how many young ones who have begun in the Spirit and yet have ended in the flesh as we might judge 1. Many young Seekers have turned off