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	jesus_n	lord_n	17,123	5	3.7490	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66341	The advancement of Christs interests the governing end of a Christians life a second sermon preached before the Right Honourable Sir John Shorter, Knight, Lord Mayor of the city of London at Grocers-Hall, January the 9th, 1687/8 / by Daniel Williams.	Williams, Daniel, 1643?-1716.	1688 (1688)	Wing W2644; ESTC R13642	27,450	42

We cost him dearer than our utmost Service can amount to All our Graces and Gifts are from him by a new Dispensation and held by a new Tenure You have an Emblem of it in the Redemption of the First Born and in the Ransom of all Souls How much more may Christ use the words to Philemon which Paul uttered only as an Instrument of his Conversion Albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest me even thine own self besides Doth he wrong us if he calls for our Gifts our Estates yea our Lives when he continues them to us after our manifest Forfeitures and gave them to us if Believers as he is Head over all things to the Church So that if it be a Duty to be just to God as Creator or just to Christ as Redeemer all our Lives and Abilities must be devoted to his Interests 4. No man is a Christian indeed that dedicateth not himself Life and all to Christ And so if it be a Duty to be a Christian this devotedness is a Duty as it is essential to our Christian State. It 's true you may bear the Name but you cannot be the thing designed by that Name if you devote not all to the Honour of the Lord Jesus and design it as the chiefest purpose of your Life to propagate his Interests Can any Man be his Subject who contributes not to his Affairs what in him lieth Consent to be his is the greatest Fundamental of Religion and this includes a solemn Surrender of all to him Union betwixt Christ and his Members makes their Interests common his Interest is their Interest and they are to submit to his Conduct as their Head in what their usefulness must consist Their Character is They follow the Lamb wheresoever he goeth Their Motto is I serve the Lord Christ. Religion is not a State of Freedom to live to our selves under the Covert of Gospel pardon but an Obligation and Inclination to live to our Blessed Lord being not without Law to God but under the Law to Christ. Therefore you must account Christianity a Crime or you must profess the true Faith and plead Christs Cause to the utmost R. 5. It is as much Mens Duties that profess to be Christians to dedicate their Lives and all to the interest of Christ as it is to avoid Perjury Sacriledge and Hypocrisy These Crimes are too horrid to necessitate Arguments to prove that forbearance of them is a Duty Your Conviction that to neglect this Dedication is thus Criminal I hope will suffice To this End let me reason with you Is it not Perjury to violate your Baptismal Vow Yea sure the greatest And did not you then vow to fight under Christs Banner renounce the World the Flesh and the Devil and that you would never be ashamed of Christs Cross Is not your neglect of Dedication of all to Christ an express violation of this Vow When you fear or grudge performing a Christians Work dare not profess the true Faith and Worship of Christ nor engage in the supports of his Gospel and Truths are not your Estates and Abilities dedicated to the Devil and your Lusts Is not Christ deserted Is not his Cross refused when you prostitute the Concernments of your Saviour None can do more for Christ than the Baptismal Vow includes What Perjury then lies at your Doors who are no way concerned for him Is it no Sacriledge to alien duly dedicated things to common use without divine Allowance Were not your Souls Bodies Gifts and all you have dedicated to the Lord Jesus when you were Baptized in or into the N●me of the Father Son and Spirit This Surrender was professed and Gods Propriety and Disposal acknowledged All past under the Rod and Gods Name was enstamped on all thus devoted to his use Now when you neglect to honour Christ and serve his Interest with your Substance Time and Gifts do not you with-hold what was Consecrated and apply it to your own carnal Ends and Use Every idle cowardly Christian keeps back what is Gods and not his own Every Apostate doth the same more grosly Every Enemy to any Concern of Christ employs the Consecrated Things of Christ against him So that here is Sacriledg at your Door if you improve not all for Christs Interest in your Places And this Perjury and Sacriledg is double in any Ministers or Magistrates who are under Vows and Dedications additional to what is common to all Christians Is it not Hypocrisy solemnly to profess to intend do and be what we neither do nor are Now can you deny that you profess to intend Christs Service to advance his Name and Interests and be for his Praise as Witnesses to him in the World You appear and would be thought such in professing to be his Followers For on these Terms he admits Men to wear his Name If any Man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross daily and follow me There he injoins that Self have not the disposal of us or ours That we follow him in his Testimony and Designs which he is carrying on in the World and abett these still tho the Cross be our daily Associate All this thou pretendest And now when thou refusest to dedicate thy Life to Christ dost not thou betray Christ with a Kiss affront God and abuse Men by delusive Mockery and wearest that Title of Hypocrite which thou brandest the upright with Oh! think of this you who spend your Time and Estates as fuel to your Lusts not once laying to heart any Engagement on you to employ them to higher Ends. R. 6. All living Christians are chosen Ones appointed by Christ to advance his Interests in their Day Great are the Purposes our Lord is accomplishing And tho his immediate Power or the Ministry of Angels would be effective of them yet he honours Mortals as Instruments therein He overturns Satans Throne erects and propagates his own Kingdom leads Men into Truth and Holiness by the Ministration of Men like our selves tho the effective Virtue be from him All are obliged to concur but living Saints are under a more peculiar anointing for it and more especially entrusted with it in their respective Stations He saith of every godly Magistrate This is the Son of Man whom I have made strong for my self Of every holy Parent as of Abraham For I know him that he will command his Children and his Houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord. It 's true of every upright Minister That he is set for the Defence of the Gospel Yea every private Christian is among them who are an holy Nation a peculiar People that they should shew forth the Praises of him who called them into his marvellous Light. The weakest Christian hath some Influence and is furnished suitably to what Christ intends by him Is it not a great Duty to discarge this glorious Trust and

Members and Heritage be succoured his Churches have their due privileges all worship managed by Gospel-rule a Gospel-ministry encouraged no Officers imposed but whom he hath appointed in his House and none of them neglected love and peace maintained among his Followers and they admitted to the privileges of his Sanctuary on his terms It belongs to him that there be a godly Magistracy a Gospel Discipline and whatever else he hath either appointed as Means or declared as Instances of his Triumphs as Mediator and also that the Gospel terms of Life be truly stated and complied with 3. The Interests of Christ may be considered as they stand in an opposition to such errors parties and practices wherein the Attempts of Satan against the glory and influence of the Mediator consist The Devil sets up his Standard at every point which Christ gaineth no Truth escapeth his Assault and he never wants men of wit and power to abet his opposition yea generally the Croud hath been of his side when the Witnesses of Jesus have been few and contemptible Satan hath his stated Sects and Parties and tho many Truths of Christ be owned by some Sects yet in whatever respect they are denominated from their Contests against Christ the Interest of Jesus lieth in opposition to them Under this Head I shall be sparing because I fear no Party hath all the Interest of Christ and nothing else And I hope God is about some great things which will be attended with such a light and spirit as may end in a name comprehensive of all that is Christ's and exclusive of all else He hath promised his Church Thou shalt be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord shall name Christian is the best we yet know but how much opposite to Jesus is pretended to under that name However I must not fear to say the Interests of Christ consist in Protestanism in opposition to Popery in all things wherein it is Antichristian Which are too many The Interest of Christ is in Non-conformity in opposition to the imposing sinful and doubtful terms of Communion of Saints or exercise of the Ministry and sacrificing the great things of God to a Constitution uninstituted by Christ and incapable of promoting real Religion to that degree as I hope many of its abettors desire Qu. 2. What is it to dedicate our lives to the service of the Interests of Christ I must suggest to you that under the word life by a Synechdoche and Metonymie are included our time talents opportunities all enjoyments yea life it self as an offering whenever the service or testimony of Christ require it Having premised this I answer Answ. 1. It implieth a solemn offering of our selves and all in our power to Christ. This is injoined Present your Bodies a living sacrifice c. This ought to be expresly done in our first Conversion and oft repeated especially at the Lord's Table Engrave the stamp of Christ on all you possess and acknowledg his propriety Lord my self and all that is mine I offer to thee and will serve thee with This Vow in thy constant observation will keep thee from a supine neglect when opportunity of service is given and silence all repinings when his service is hard or expensive He that neglects this will soon find matter of excuse in his holy profession Answ. 2. The Service of Christ and his Interests must be the governing end in all deliberate Acts and Contrivances Men are devoted to what they chiefly intend Paul expresseth that his life was indeed dedicated thus when amidst all disswasives from a dangerous duty he asserts I count not my life dear so I may finish my course and the Ministry which I have received Wo to them whose Consults still terminate in some selfish matter and are concerned for Christ only by the by Providence may serve it self by their Sins as well as by their chance Services which they hardly intend Christ accounts none faithful to his Concerns who provide for them last but chiefly contrive for things that are none of his Which prevail when in competition for what are we most industrious about what are we most sollicitous that our lives are dedicated to whether they be the Interest of Christ or other things 3. There is an actual and stated employing our lives and all our abilities for Christ. This dedication consists not in faint acts of the mind but extends to and expresseth it self in the doing all we can to promote Christ's Interests Thy heart cannot concur in this dedication when thy performances do not conduce to exalt him You must be fervent in spirit serving the Lord. To live is Christ when our parts are engaged to plead for Truth our power subserveth his Claims our time and Estates are employed to uphold his Gospel advance Piety and abet the testimony of Jesus striving together for the faith of the Gospel He dedicates his life and talents to Christ who useth them for Christ in all opportunities of doing and willingly parts with them rather than renounce his Interests Moses yields an instance when he esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt renouncing all temporal hopes to give a specimen of future service This living to Christ imports also a stated Course of life It 's not enough to serve Christ by starts or occasional acts It must be our ordinary employ and the scope of our lives Our abilities must be still on the altar and our ears ever open to the Voice of God by all occasions however frequently they return Happy they who early engage in this and the longest life gives no period to it Yea all we do and every moment we spend should mediately or immediately serve the Interest of Christ. 4. We live for Christ when we value our lives and talents as they be serviceable to the Interests of the Lord Jesus Men live to themselves and their time is dedicated to their Lusts when they esteem their Estates as they afford fuel to carnal Inclinations and are fond of long life as an opportunity of pleasing their Senses and Appetites To such all is despicable and uneasie which yield not Flesh-pleasing-contentments Thus bruitishly they express their sentiments Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die But he that dedicates his life to Christ is glad of an Estate that he may be useful by charity in employing it and express lively hopes of Heaven when called for Christ's sake to relinquish it What is esteem with men farther than as it may add to his influence or parts or power than as they qualify him for greater services a good Soul assured of Heaven would gladly resign his Spirit when he ceaseth to be useful What is more awful to such a man than to be cast by as an useless Vessel whom God disdaineth to employ and nothing yields them greater delight than capacity for the Service of Christ and success therein