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	work_v	5,318	5	7.5792	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

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

Fast with the Fast which God hath chosen God will manifest his gracious acceptation of you by making you and your posterity Instruments to hold forth the wayes of God clearly wherein poor Souls may walk with God and find peace unto their Souls 8. Again in the last verse then shalt thou delight thy self in the Lord. c. There are three things in it the sum of all is that such a Fast as God hath chosen shall be powerful and effectual to bring you to the highest happiness for first you shall delight your selves in the Lord you shall have God for your chiefest good and he will be your portion to all Eternity 2. You shall ride upon the high places of the Earth you that are trodden down shall have a time of Exaltation in a Kingdome that cannot be shaken and thou shalt be fed with the heritage of Jacob thy Father for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it that is after all your sorrows and troubles you shall find still that God is your feeder and that not with common food but Jacobs heritage which was threefold 1. The blessings necessary for this life 2. The blessings necessary for his precious Soul the feeding Ordinances of God and 3. The Eternal feeding which is promised at the glorious appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ Rev. 7. 17. the Lamb shall feed them and shall lead them unto living Fountains of water and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes are not these glorious priviledges and admirable advantages these are the special favours of God whereby in due time he will manifest his gracious acceptation of his people in their fastings and prayers which have been such as himself hath chosen And thus we have seen the second general point proposed 3. The next thing is to show the season when God delights to begin to give in the manifestation of his gracious acceptation of his people It is true the Seasons God hath reserved in his own power and therefore we cannot tell you the day Moneth or year but yet there are certain signs that are wont to be Forerunners of Gods gracious manifestations Therefore I shall give you some general Characters for help of your faith and raising up your expectations as first when the evil of affliction hath done its work it may be God holds you long under some spiritual temptation or outward pressure you are as a Sheaf in threshing upon the Floor you have stroke after stroke hardly ever free from Tribulation yet be content when affliction hath done its work God will call it back this was the Centurions Faith Math. 8. 9 afflictions came not forth without a 〈◊〉 from God and as it hath its Go from God so it hath its Commission it hath a wise work to do its Do this also now when it hath done its work it shall have its Come it shall be called off again As he afflicts you for your profit so when the end is attained the affliction shall be removed it is to make you partaker of his holiness see then how the work of God prospers in your Souls under tryals afflictions and Temptations c. 2. When your hearts are quickned to urgent importunity for the blessing on the affliction you may cry mightily for deliverance from evills felt or feared these and those distresses that are upon you but are your souls wrestling with God importunately for the blessing as Jacob I will not let thee goe except thou bless me It s not the removing of the rod but the giving in of the blessing that may refresh thee is it the blessing that thy soul is crying for certainly God will answer such prayers as Jacob after his earnest wrestling with God sees the face of God in the face of his brother Esau 3. When your souls are ready to fail for thirst In all the exercises and trials of Gods people God still hath a tender care to prevent this sad inconvenience Isa 57. 16. I will not contend for ever neither will I be alwayes wroth for the spirit should fail before me and the souls which I have made Hence David useth this as an argument Hear me speedily my spirit doth fail 4. When the enemy is most insolent and violent If the storm be high and terrible ordinarily it is not durable the gust will soon blow over When the enemy comes in like a flood the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a Standard against him Isa 59. 19. God himself will interpose and ingage for your souls his spirit against your spiritual adversaryes and the wonders of his providence against your outward enemies When he saw that there was none to help then his own 〈◊〉 brought salvation when they seem to be under the power of the enemy then it's time for God to work for their deliverance God will appear I say 5. When you are come to a desperate Stand you must have help or perish you have already suffered Ship-wrack and are in the midst of the Flood in the midst of the fiery furnace in the lions den having received the sentence of death in your selves now is the time to trust in the living God who quickneth the dead In the mount of the Lord is shall be seen Lastly That which is most comfortable when your soul is brought to a quiet and patient submission to the hand and dispensation of God committing your selves to his soveraign pleasure and waiting patiently for his salvation certainly your deliverance is near This is a great mystery whilst a soul is strugling against providence and is displeased with Gods dispen●ation towards it there is cause to fear that deliverance is far off but when it comes to submit deliverance is near and pledges of Gods favour are at hand 2. Sam. 15. 26. If I shall find favour in the sight of the Lord saith David he will bring me back again but if he say I have no delight in thee behold here am I let him doe to me what seemeth good unto him Now David is not far from deliverance when he is content that God should fulfill his own pleasure upon him whatsoever it be and that this is the method that God is wont to observe in the way of his providence towards his people the Apostle tells you Rom. 5. 3 4. Tribulation worketh Patience and Patience 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 hope which maketh not ashamed It 's a mistake in the mystery of providence to look for experience of mercy in deliverance before the work of patience in self-resignation to the will of God Thus of the 3d. thing 4. The next general Head is to demonstrate to your Faith that such a Fast as is of Gods chusing shall have such an issue This is hard to believe in times of temptation therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to bottome our Faith well upon such a foundation that cannot fail I shall mention these 1. That If God should fail to manifest his acceptance of his people upon this account then these