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	place_n	5,553	5	4.7190	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29663	A sermon at the funeral of the Worshipful John Symonds, late of Great Yeldham in the county of Essex, Esq. preached in the parish-church of Great Yeldham aforesaid on the 24th of February, 1692, by John Brooke ... ; with a short account of his life.	Brooke, John, 1633 or 4-1716?	1693 (1693)	Wing B4906; ESTC R12467	25,737	32

tell thee this that say so but the divine Spirit the Holy Ghost himself who is equal with God the Father saith so and that not only in multitudes of places in the Scriptures but in the hearts and consciences of all good men of all true believers This Holy Spirit saith yea to what I have said gives his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his Amen or v●●●ly to ●t and hath commanded me to tell thee as much and ther●fore thou hast reason to believe it For what he saith and declares is as he saith it is and as he declares it to be and whatever he promiseth or threatneth shall accordingly in time he performed and made good He is as we are told a Spirit of Truth a faithful Witness one that cannot lye as the Apostle expresly tells us Tit. 1 2. his word shall be made good to a tittle Heaven and earth shall pass away but not one Iota not the least tittle of what he hath said shall go unfulfilled as our Saviour assureth us Mat. 5.18 He is not a man that he sh●uld lye neither the Son of man that he should repent hath he said it and shall it not be made good said Balaam Numb 23.19 the sons of men indeed are often lyars men of low de●ree saith the Psalmist are vanity and men of high degree are a lye Psa 62.9 they will say and unsay many times with the same breath we have no sure hold of their word no sure ground to build upon their assertions but it is not so with the Spirit of God we may safely build upon his word 't is imp●ssible that he should lye or deceive any as the Apostle tells us Heb. 6.18 Truth is of his very nature and essence and he may as soon cease to be as cease to be true but that is the second ground given in my Text why we should believe that such as die in the Lord are Blessed because the Holy Spirit hath affirmed it and gives his yea to it Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord yea saith the Spirit But then 3. As the Spirit saith so as it is evident and clear from what the Spirit tells us in the Holy Scriptures and in the hearts and consciences of all good men so the Ratio rei the reason of the thing speaks as much or it is evident that it must be so from reason it self I might name many but I shall content my self at present with what we have in my Text and we have Two here given for it The dead that die in the Lord must needs be Blessed For 1. They rest then from their labours And 2. Their works will follow them 1. Then if we consult Reason Good Men such as die in the Lord will be blessed after death For then they will rest from their labours they will then be at their rest there the wicked ceas● from trouble and the weary be at rest saith Job speaking of the grave or the other world Jo● 14.13 There remaines a rest for t●e p●o●l● o● God saith the Apostle Heb. 4 9. And such as die in the Lord are said to rest or sleep in Jesus 1 Thes 4.14 Th●y shall ● ter ●●to peace th●y shall rest in their beds saith the Prophet speaking of righteous men that are taken away from the evil to come Isa 57.1 Look what a bed of rest or sl●ep is to the weary labourer such is Death to good men their dying day is their resting day they shall then rest from their labours Not neither for I would not be mistaking here that the souls of good men after death are without all motion or operation till the Resurrection of their bodies not that they turn sleepers till then as some have im●gined not that they dose away all their time or indeed any of it from the last breath or gasp that the body takes to the blowing of the last trumpet as some do fondly dream For the soul is of such a nature as that it can no more be and not act than the wind can be and not blow than the fire can be and not burn than the sun can be and not shine its very nature and essence consisteth in alwayes thinking in constant cogitation as some both of the old and new Philosophers tell us They rest not day and night saying holy holy holy Lord God Almighty which was which is and which is to come saith St. Jo n of the four and twenty elders and so of the souls of just men made perfect Revel 4.8 The resting of the soul then is not a cealing or a rest from all kind of motion or operation But a rest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as 't is phrazed in my Text that is a rest from all those toilsome labours and troublesome pains wh●●h they are forced to undergoe whilst here in the body ●oth in the pursuit of their particular callings as men and in the pursuit of their general callings as Christians They rest from all toilsome labour with reference to both of these and that too both with reference to all sinning and suffering in either of them To mention no more 1. The Souls of good men which die in the Lord rest from all their labours with respect to sinning their death puts a period and an end to all their sinning in both the issue of sin shall then be quite dryed up shall run no longer Here the heart of a Christian is like Rebekahs womb it hath as it were twins strugling in it the old man and the new flesh and spirit the law in the members warring against the law of the mind The flesh lusting against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary one to the other as the Apostle tells us Gal. 5.17 and by means of this contrariety there is a great conflict many times much strugling and striving much labour and trouble in the heart of a Christian So that the good which he would do he doth not and the evil which he w●uld not do that many times doth he as the Apostle phrazeth it in his own person Rom. 7.22 his very life by means of this is like a Book fraught full of Errata's who knows the Errours of this Life saith David there is not a just Man upon earth that doth good at all times and sinneth not saith Solomon Eccles 7.20 If any man saith he hath no sin he deceiveth himself and the truth is not in him saith St. John 1 Jo. 1.8 And in many things we offend all saith St. James Jam. 2.3 Our very righteousness is but as filthy rags as the Prophet tells us Isa 6.4 Our best graces saith one are not without their defects Lord I believe help mine unbelief cryes he in the Gospel Mark 9.24 Our best duties not without their defaults When I would do good evil is present with me saith the Apostle Rom. 7.21 The purest fire we know hath some smoak the richest wines some dregs Sin in short will have a

die they shall rest from their labours and their works shall follow them therefore they are and must needs be thenceforth blessed Yea that I may descend to and instance in a few particulars here such as die in the Lord must needs be truly though not compleatly blessed and happy immediately after death for they shall then be blessed with perfection in resp●ct of their S uls with the comforta●le soci●ty of the blessed Angels and Souls of just men made perfect and which is more still than all these with a clearer more immediate and never more to be interrupted enjoyment of God and Christ 1. Such as die in the Lord will be immediately after death blessed with perfection in respect of their own Souls their Souls shall be then no longer clog'd down with their bodies But shall be elevated and exalted to their just 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the highest pitch of perfection that they are in their separated Estate capable of and that in all the powers and faculties of them as to instance and but to instance in them 1. Their understandings shall be then extraordinarily enlarged and enlightned to see into those mysteries of nature and divinity which are now hid from them Now I see saith the Apostle through a glass darkly but then face to face now I know but in part but then I shall know even as also I am known 1 Cor. 13.12 The good mans understanding shall then be nevermore deceived or mistaken shall never more be troubled with misconceivings or misapprehensions all those mists of ignorance and errour which do now so much cloud his mind shal● then be scattered and blown over all those groundless fears and scruples which by reason of the weakness of our understandings and the imperfection of our knowledge do now so rack and gravel tender hearts shall then be laid aside for ever abandoned all those laborious studies controverted problems and polemical disputes which do now steal away so much of our time all to so litle purpose shall then have their final decision and full determination and the meanest understanding of them that are dead in the Lord shall then probably be able to confute the now ignorant sentiments of the learnedest Scholars And as their understandings so 2. Their wills shall be then Perfected with a perfect and indefective Holiness with an exact conformity to the divine will and with a perfect freedom from all servitude to sin they shall then be no more troubled with doubtful choise but with a perfect freedom shall steadily embrace the chiefest good and shall find it too as easie to do good as to will and desire it as one expresseth it And as their wills so 3. Their affections too shall be then all composed and placed aright and that too by an unalterable regularity in which too they shall receive the greatest content and satisfaction All those furious waves which do now many times rage in Mens hearts by reason of the turbulency of their passions and affections and do make them too too often like the Seas to foam forth their own shame shall then be reduced to an Everlasting calm Ye all those peevish passions and brutish affections which do now so often dethrone Judgment Conscience in Mens hearts and set the whole world as it were on a sire shall then be for ever cashiered and abandoned And we shall love fear desire delight and rejoyce in nothing but what is good And as their affections so 4. Their memories also shall not then be idle or useless but they shall perfectly remember the miseries that they were in the rock and shelves the dangers that they have escaped as likewise the mercies and good things which they met with here on Earth and all to inhance and heighten the worth of their Happiness and present enjoyments in Heaven Thus 1. Such as die in the Lord are immediately after Death blessed for they shall then be blessed with all that perfection which the nature of the Soul will admit of in its separate Estate 2. They are Blessed for they shall then be blessed too with the happy Society of the blessed Angels and of the Souls of just Men made perfect ye are come saith the Apostle Heb. 12.22 23. speaking indeed of the members of his militant Church in the dayes of the Gospel upon Earth and therefore it s much truer of the members of his Triumphant Church in Heaven unto Mount Sion and unto the City of the living God the Heavenly Jerusalem a●d to an innumerable company of Angels to the general Assembly and Church of the first-born which are written in Heaven and to God the Judge of all and to the Spirits of just Men made perfect and to Jesus the Mediator of the n●w Covenant 1. Then such as die in the Lord shall after their death be immediately blessed with the Society of the blessed Angels ye are come to an innumerable company of Angels and how sweet and comfortable how pleasing and taking their Society is the Saints in Heaven can only tell us but doubtless it is very lovely and amiable they being all creatures of such a noble Extract and of such an Heavenly make as they are 2. They shall then be blessed as with the Society of the Blessed Angels so with the Society of the Spirits of just Men made perfect as the Apostle tells us in the place fore-quoted this tends not a little to the making up of their Happiness The of God are Excellent persons even whiles they are here upon Earth The righteous saith Solomon is more Excellent than his Neighbour Prov. 12.26 And my delight saith David is in the Saints those Excellent ones upon Earth Ps 16.3 Their company even in this life is very taking and pleasing notwithstanding that by reason of that Body of Death which they carry about with them here they are even loaded with many imperfections which may and do breed sometimes real grounds of distaste to those that converse with them But O how excellent are they in Heaven How pleasant and taking will their company be there when they shall be disburdened of all these when they shall be made perfect as then they will be And shall all joyn together with one heart and with one voice to Offer up Everlasting Halelujahs to God and to the Lamb that hath re●●emed them as we are told they sha●l and will Revel 19.1 2 3 4. But then 3. And lastly which is still more than all this the Dead that die in the Lord are immediately after their death though not compleatly yet truly blessed because they then shall be blessed with the blisful fruition of God and Christ they shall come then as to th● Spirits of just Men made perfect so to God t●e judge of all and to J●sus the Mediator of the new Covenant as the Apostle assureth us in that place so often mentioned Heb. 12.22 23 24. According also to that of our Saviour to the penitent