Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	father_n	holy_a	nature_n	8,877	5	5.8462	4	false

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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

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 acceptation 3. The special Seasons wherein God will bear witness to such A FAST 4. Some helps to Faith that it shall be so 5. Why such a FAST is so acceptable and successfull 6. How much this concerns Gods people in New-England Preached on a Fast called by publitk Authority On 26. 1. 74. By THOMAS THACHER Pastor of a Church in Boston BOSTON Printed by John Foster 1678. To the Reader BOth Scripture and experience hath made it manifest to the world that a Religious Fast when duly attended is a Duty of no small importance and advantage to the people of God But those spiritual performances which if rightly managed are the most beneficial have a special difficulty and contrariety to flesh and blood accompanying them So is it an hard work to keep a Fast in such a manner as that it shall become an acceptable Day unto the Lord whence also it cometh to pass that very few even amongst those that outwardly observe Fasting Dayes are acquainted with the inward spiritual acceptable part of the duty There have been that as to what is external in such services regard not the divine precept Some think the Prophet Isaiah in that Chapter which is partly and judiciously opened in the ensuing Sermon reproveth Enormities in that kind And although mercy is better then Sacrifice nor may we urge any severities beyond what the word of God doth impose yet it is to be feared that many amongst us do not make due conscience of that outward abstinence which the rule and which the nature of the duty doth require Thes Salmur part ult Camero in Mat. 17. 21. Ames Answ to Burgess p● 1. pag. 145. It is most true that the Kingdome of God doth not consist in meat and drink nor is Fasting in it self any part of Religion when it is called worship it is by a Trope as being a special adjunct of some extraordinary worship yet for men to exact labours or to find their own pleasures upon such daies is an high transgression Others there are that as to externals will be very exact nay over-righteous Whenas all that they do is before the Lord no better then loathsome formality hypocrisie The Evangelist informs us that it was customary amongst the Jews to fast twice a week And the Jewish masters tell us particularly that it was upon the 2d and 5th day of the week decreverun● magistry nostri utjejunaretur diebus secundo et quinto Volumen Jejunii Fol. 54 propter tres res viz. propter destructum Templum propter legem Conflagratam propter probrum divini nomini● In imitation of whom some Christians call two dayes of the week Fast dayes albeit that they might not be thought to Judaize they have not fixed upon Thorndike of Serv●● Re● Assemb c. 8 the same dayes the Jews did But to what end is a multitude of these ons if con●●ded in Do men think that their voice will be heard on high 〈◊〉 e. that they shall have acceptance in Heaven meerly because they fast Certainly if there be not serious preparation for such dayes unseigned Humiliation and Contrition in them Reformation after them dayes of Humiliation will become dayes of provocation before that God who will never suffer himself to be mocked by any of the Sons of men When the most solemn and extraordinary duties of Religion degenerate into Formality it causeth the God of judgement to come near Historians have observed that Pompey seized upon the Temple on the Jews solemn Fasting day Also that upon one of their publick Fasts Sofius took Ios●phus de A●tiq Indeor l. 14. c. 8 Ierusalem the Lord thereby testifying against the Formality of that degenerate generation And indeed dayes of Humiliation without Reformation are no other nor no better then a Form of godliness without the power of it So the formal Jews in Isaiahs time Notwithstanding their frequent facts they persisted in doing their own wills and are therefore said to find their own pleasure though contrary to the commanding will of God They continued to oppress and exact Labours of those that by the Law of Mr. Gatak●● Annot●●n Isai 58. God should have been set at liberty Ier. 34. 17. Vexatious Law suits smiting with the fist of ●ickedness and other Contentions were ri●e amongst them after dayes of Humiliation If a poor man were by any injurious Contract fallen into their hands they would not loose those Bonds of wickedness The Lord therefore by his Prophet tells them that as ever they desired God should regard their Fasts those prevailing iniquities should be reformed and the contrary duties practised To the same purpose Ieremiah upon a solemn Fasting day Ier. 36. 6 7. Now that the Lords people amongst us may be awakened and warned against resting in any lifeless Formalities or in Humiliation● without Reformation is the design of the Reverend and worthy Author in this practical and useful Sermon of his Discours●s of his nature are never unseasonable since no Age passeth wherein there is not afforded matter ground sad enough to warrant the performance of the duty urged Although the New Testament speaketh nothing for stated Fasts or Tertullian de ●ejun Epiph. Haris 75. August de Heres c. 53. Festivals Tertullian before his Montanisme wrote truly that religious Fasts are to be observed pro temporibus causis as the Lord shall providentially call thereunto ●ndeed A●rius was sometimes charged with Heresy because he withstood the Imposition of those and the like Formalities but that was in an Age when the darkness of Superstition began to over spread the Christian World Nevertheless the word is clear that at sometimes frequency in the observation of this service ought to be attended Iohns Disciples kept many dayes of Fasting and Prayer probably as a learned Interpreter conceiveth upon occasion of their Masters being Imprisoned which providence was a sufficient call unto them to be much Grotius in Math. 9. 14 in extraordinary seekings unto God and Humiliation before him that if possible they might not be deprived of such a faithful and eminent Teacher And although the tenderness of Christ toward his own Disciples was such as that he would not at first enjoyn frequent Fastings upon them who had not been accustomed to such severities le●● as new wine is ungrateful and will be rejected by those who have tasted that which is more Pleasant being suddenly put upon precepts too strong for weak Disciples they should be Cradock Harmon c. 3 Sect. 20. discouraged yet the Lord doth intimate that dayes of persecution and general affliction would at last befall them when they should be providentially called and their