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	person_n	trinity_n	6,364	5	9.9651	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A19289	The estates of the hypocrite and syncere Christian Containing, certaine liuely differences, betweene synceritie and hypocrisie; very necessarie, for the tryall of our estates in Grace. By Tho. Cooper.	Cooper, Thomas, 1517?-1594.	1613 (1613)	STC 5699; ESTC S115596	59,087	262

pollicie of Satan which will not sticke if he cānot tickle vs with pride and lull vs in securitie at least to deiect vs with the consciēce of our vnworthinesse and insuffi●iencie of Gods Blessings 1. Because others haue more 2. Or they are giuen not for good because we cannot but in some measure abuse them 3 Or they are decayed and therefore not entending our perfection 4. Or they are common and ordinarie and ther●ore not to be regarded To preuent this abasing had had we not need to make ou● our selu●s poore to see our vnworthines of the least and therefore to blesse GOD for any to see the sufficiencie of what we haue aboue our desart that so we may giue God glorie that makes what we haue to serue the turne to be so abased in our decay that still we are contented to abase our selues further in giuing vnto our GOD the glorie of his faithfulnes that he will recouer satisfie vs againe to be so abased in our abuse that yet we can be more abased in renouncing our owne righteousnes because we are corrupt and yet the more ab●sed in giuing the Lord the onely glorie of all his free mercies by resting alone vpon CHRIST for the acceptance of well doing Thus must we abase our selues to preuēt satans abasing 6. Lastly let vs consider that if wee make not our selues poore to preuent securiritie and vnthankfulnes Our God will abase vs and that many wayes 1 both denying comfort of his graces Yea 2 Taking them from vs yea leauing vs to reproachefull and grosse offences yea yeelding vs to the smiting of a wounded spivite and shal we not then preserue peace of conscience by abasing our selues shall wee not preuent the reproach of our profession shal we not preserue the comfortable vse of Gods blessings yea shall wee not take down the pride of our harts that the graces of God may not be taken from vs Well let these motiues serue to prouoke vs to this holie wisedome comforting our selues that we can neuer be losers at Gods hands if he winne glory by our abasing of our selues 2 Nay the more we loose in conceite of Gods blessings the more we shall gaine in the vse of them the more we shall reape c●mfort by them And therefore in the feare of God let vs set vpon the practise of this dutie And the Lord giue vs vnderstanding in all things and accōplish his owne worke which he hath begun in vs euen for his blessed sonne Christ Iesus his sake our onely Lord and ●all sufficient Sauiour To whose glorious Maiestie with God Almightie the father of all spirits and God the holy Ghost the guide and comforter of the Elect. Three persons in Trinitie ou● God in Vnitie Mig●● and Ma●estie As we acknowledge to be due so from the ground of our hearts we desire to be giuen All glorie power dominion might maiestie thanksgiuing and entire obedience of vs and all the Churches from this time forth and for euer more Amen Conclusion to to the Reader THus hast thou Christian Reader a briefe of such Meditations which it hath pleased my good God to impart vnto mee concerning the Estates of the Hypocrite and syncere Christian as also of their seuerall wisdomes in Husbanding their Estates My harts desire is that thou wouldest laye these thinges close into thy heart neither stūbling at the want of complement which my leisure and weaknes yea indeede the matter it sesfe would not afford or at such obscuritie which partly the briefe hādling but especially the matter being experimentall may giue occasion vnto But in the name of God Iudge wisely of my drift heerein And labour with thy God in prayer that thou maist s●und the depth thereof And seeing thou wilt hardly plough without my hayfare therefore let this experience be a meanes to prouoke thee to discerne thine estate And so buy thou in the teare of God that spirifuall eyesalue o● thy Sauiour Tesus Christ labouring to be found in him not hauing thine owne righteousnes That so being pertaker of his spirit thou maiest be able to discernt all things comparing spirituall things with spirituall things And so being able ther by to trie all things thou maiest hold that which is good that it may hold thee for euer Certainely if euer Times had need of direction and resolution these are they wherein because we will not obey the truth it is ●ust with God to giue vs vp to strong delusions to beleeue lies In so much that if it were possible the very elect might be seduced I would it were not more then manifest that euen the most are growne cold and carelesse of what they should i● not staggering in their Iudgements yet vnstable in that practise readie to embrace this present world but that the world flies from them Blessed be our God who knowes what 's best for vs how gladly would we serue God and Mammon too how willingly would we haue our heauen here and yet not forgoe our right thereof in another life But our GOD will not endure our halting he confound● our confidence in exceeding mercy And happie is he that can prepare his soule to afflictions Certainely if we will not trie our selues the Lord will take vs further in hand haue we not had enough alreadie for the iniquitie of Baal peor for our sparing of B●nhadad and enduring the viper in our bosoms that poysons our people daily and stings them to death but that Ham●n must be further aduanced and poore Mordekay humbled Hath not the spanish Inuasion yet scholed vs to haue no fellowship with Gods open enemies hath not the powder Treasons taught vs what to expect of secret Enemies The Lord make vs wise to see the plague aud hide our selues Hath not the Lord fought against vs with all the Elemēts hath not the Infections ayre brought vpon the land euen A seuen yeeres pestilence raging scowring our most secure and eminent places euen round about And hath this Iudgement yet brought vs to see the plague of Atheisme and Securitie the plague of Hypocrisie and Pr●phanenesse that is in our harts and spreades it selfe as a leaprosie ouer all the quarters of the Land Haue not the fearefull Earthquakes so often of late renued in our most lof●tie palaces signified plainely vnto vs that the Land is wearie of her burthen and doth threaten to spew vs out doe they not forewarne to tremble and stand in awe of the Maiest●e of our God and obey his Prophets lest being pertakers of the gainsayings of Core our mother earth at length shall swallow vs vp and so in the middest of our securitie we shal sinke downe into Hell can we forget how the Lord hath pleaded his controuersie further against vs Nay doe we not see how still this controuersie is renued euen by most strange and fearefull fires arresting not onely our solitarie corners● and obscure Villages as if the poore igno●āt

people were the greatest sinners but ●easing vpon our most popoelous Cities and best affected places thereby conuincing their coldnes and deadnes in religion And that as it hath bene obserued vsually vpon the Sabbath dayes meeting therin with the raigning sinne of the time the prophanation of the Sabaoth And confounding herein the pride of our holy mountaine as causing hereby the Sabaoth to become the day of greatest distraction busines which ought to be the day of holy rest to be the day of greatest griefe and astonishment which should be a day of ioy and thankesgiuings vnto our God And hath not the hand of the Lord bene yet further stretched out hath he not conuinced our coldnes in religion by that cold Element of the water haue not the mightie waues pleaded the Lords controuersie against vs breaking their ac●ustomed bounds and taking away the pray and none could deliuer convincing herein our daily rebellions that will not be kept within the bands of obedience either to God or man Is not the hypocrite like the raging of the sea foaming out his owne shame hath not the proud waues convinced the hypocrite hath hee not vomited out his own shame in seking his glorie hath he not cast vp myre and dirt while he iustifies the wicked which are of his owne humour hath he not condemned the gouernment and resisted Moses and Aaron And so in seeking to amend others hath confounded himselfe And is not the hand of the Lord stretched out still hath he not confounded our carnall confidence in taking away the first borne euē the hope of our happinesse that so at length out Eyes might be towards him alone Hath he not sent A spirit● of diuision among vs euen Ephraim against Manasses and Manasses against Ephraim and both against Iuda the Papist against all sectarie and both against the true Israelite the wise and sober protestāt that seekes after peace in truth holines Well who so is wise let him vnderstād these things Let him know that as the Lord hath seuen plagues more Yea a consumption decreed euen to sweep vs away So also his hand is not so shortned that he cannot saue Blessed bee our God for the experience of his greate Saluation hath hee not preserued our Annoynted often from the snares of the hunter and frō the noysome pestilence Hath hee not giuen him an heart to begin go forward in the most glorious worke of detecting Antichrist and demolishing his kingdome And will hee not gratiously preserue him to accomplish that worke Hath hee not supplied our former losse in som gratious mesure by that happie Marriage Hath hee not left vs an hopefull Prince for the continuance of the Gospell Hath he not recompenced vs the yeares that the pestilence hath consumed And if we belieue shall we not see greater things then these The Lord make vs wise to be thākfull for what we haue Surely as the least we haue is mor●● then we deserue so if we be faithfull in a little the Lord will encrease vs and if we First seeke the best things all these things shall be cast vpon vs. Labour therefore in the feare of GOD as we haue receiued CHRIST so to walke in him Haue wee not receiued him in Truth Is he not daily crucified vnto vs in the Conscionable Preaching of the word and liuely administration of the Sacraments And shall wee yet crucifie him againe by our vnnaturall contentions shall we crucifie him againe by our tearing and deuouring one another Blessed be God euen the Father of our Lord Iesus Iesus Christ that experience and wisdom hath wel cooled our vnnaturall heate and kindeled it more kindly against the cōmon Aduersarie And shall not the patiēt abiding of the righ teous be ioy shal not the meek and quiet spirite possesse the Land when the turbulent Sectary shall spue himselfe out shal wee not be thankfull for the Truth though wee are farre from perfection And if we cannot amend all shall wee not therefore labour more carefully euery man to mend One. The Lord giue vs wisedome to walke vprightly in these Euill times that wee may neither Wound where we should heale nor heale where we should wound Ezech. 13. Labouring wisely to heale what we haue rashly wounded and to wound more deeply what in carnall wisdome we would cure That so sound peace may redound to our Church and comfort to our soules Is it not more then time now to couer the nakednes of our mother whom we haue vnnaturally stripped both of credit and maintenance reproching her as an harlot so worthy to be dispoiled might we not doe well to recouer her credit by discouering our owne nakednes Our ignorāce in speaking euil of the things we know not or haue not bene able to discerne our pride in censuring what wee haue no calling to amend our curiositie in seeking a knot in a rush our Hypocrisie in stumbling at strawes and leaping ouer blockes our vnthankefulnes in not acknowledging the good things we enioy our vnprofitablenes in neglecting our necessary callings vnder pretence of scanning and iudg●ng of the callings of others What should I say haue wee bene free from malice and birternes in our censuring and deprauings condemning callings for personall abuses exasperating the Magistrate by our presumtuous importunitie and insolēt calumniations hath not our incōstancie differences discouered apparantly the matter of our Building hath it not brought distraction and confusion to our selues and others hath not our carnalnes and couetousnes in the manner of our building each seeking to build vp himselfe with the ruines of his mother and yet vnder pretence to repaire the same Hath not this discouered y e plague in our hearts while we haue sought to remoue the plague in our Churches And is not the Lord exceeding mercifull thus to bring to passe that we haue wisely discouered our owne soares while we haue vnwisely labored to launce the diseases of our mother that so we might be either forced to seeke helpe for our selues so hereby giue some rest vnto the Church of God or else by purging out healing our particular euils we may by this ●canes the better further the healing of the whole bodie when euery member shall labour it own soundnes Surely if I faile not in my skill this will be the best way to procure peace abroad is to maintain warre at home If each could discerne how much he had to doe heere he should rather craue the helpe of the Church for his priuate cure then to vndertake a publike cure which doth not concerne him The Lord open our eyes that we may see our owne nakednes that so finding how bad we are we may esteeme of other better then ourselues especially whom the Lord hath in mercie set ouer vs that wee may giue vnto Cesar the things that are Cesars euen al holy conceipt reuerent behauiour all harty obedience to what is