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	scripture_n	word_n	5,665	5	4.3306	3	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56406	The faithful and diligent Christian described and exemplified, or, A sermon (with some additions) preached at the funeral of the Lady Elizabeth Brooke, the relict of Sir Robert Brooke, to which is annexed ... an account of the life and death of that eminent lady : with an appendix containing some observations, experiences, and rules for practice, found written with Her Ladiship's own hand / by Nath. Parkhurst ...	Parkhurst, Nathaniel, 1643-1707.	1684 (1684)	Wing P489; ESTC R14746	35,723	168

Testament without which Knowledg the Heart cannot be good nor the Life purified or suitable to the Christian Profession wherefore we are directed to search the Scriptures S. John 5.39 To incline our Ears to Wisdom to apply our Hearts to Understanding to cry after Knowledg and lift up our Voice for Understanding to seek hit as Silver and search for her as for hid Treasures Prov. 2.2 3 4. And certainly the Wickedness of the most of Men among us is greatly imputable to their utter Ignorance of these things or a very slight and inconsiderable Knowledg of them For Ignorance of God Christ and his holy Spirit and of his Attributes and providence prevents all Inclination to Piety Ignorance of the Rules for managing our Lives prevents all that Regularity in Conversation that is required Ignorance of the Promises suppresses all the Incourgement to it and Ignorance of the Threatnings hides all that which should move that Fear that is necessary to engage us in it And all this Ignorance proceeds from Slothfulness and Unwillingness to use Diligence in scearching and understanding the Scriptures in which are the Treasures of all needful Knowledg And therefore the first thing in this Work of the Lord enjoyn'd us is an industrious Endeavour after Knowledg by being conversant in the Scriptures by reading or at least diligently hearing them 2. There is included in it all that belongs to Repentance towards God consisting in a deep Sense of our many Sins against God Christ his Holy Spirit our Neighbours and our own Souls by which God hath been dishonoured Christ slighted his Holy Spirit grieved our Neighbours injured and our own Souls polluted debased and exposed to the Wrath of God as also in confessing them with Shame and Grief offering the Sacrifice of a broken and contrite Heart and in an hatred of them all attended with sincere forsaking them denying Ungodlinss and worldly Lusts and suffering no Sin to reign in our mortal Bodies being able to attest that upon making a diligent search there is no known Sin of Omission or Commission allowed loved or favoured by us But that every such Sin is opposed by our Purposes Prayers and true Endeavours 3. To this must also be refer'd all that is included in Faith And that comprehends a settled Belief of the Being and All-Governing Providence of God and of the Truth or Divine Authority of the Scriptures A continual depending on the Power Wisdom and Goodness of God and the receiving his Son Jesus Christ in all his Offices as a Prophet Priest and King And as the Lord our Righteousness our Advocate with the Father the Propitiation for our Sins the End of the Law for Righteousness to them that believe and as made of God unto us Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption And this we do when designing Salvation by Him we search the Scriptures considered as the Word of Christ with dependance on the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of the Son that we may understand the way of Salvation and know the things of our Peace and when apprehending our Guilt and Danger by Sin we seek the Pacification of our Consciences and the appeasing of God by believing meditating upon and applying his Death and Blood as a Sacrifice and Satisfaction for Sin and when we commend all our Requests to God with Dependance on his Intercession and when apprehending his Exaltation we become earnestly obedient to him and depend upon him for Grace and Strength against all our spiritual Enemies and hope to receive from him the Crown of a blessed Immortality and a miraculous glorious Resurrection 4. To this pertains all that the Scriptures intend by Holiness consisting in the Imitation of the Divine Imitable Perfection viz. the Wisdom Righteousness Purity Faithfulness Goodness and Mercy of our Creator in cleansing our Hands and purifying our Hearts in sincerely attending the Duties of both Tables of the Law with respect to God and our Neighbour and in mortifying all those Lusts that war against the Soul as the Lusts of the Flesh including Intemperance and Uncleanness The Lusts of the Eye which are Avarice and Covetousness and the Pride of Life i.e. The ambitious pursuit of Honour and Applause and the affecting the Pomp and Bravery of the World and in filling our Minds with all the Divine Graces and holy Affections of Fear Love Trust and Hope towards God and of Love Meekness Humility and Kindness towards Men And in obeying the Laws of Christ and following his Example in being in a great measure holy harmless undefiled and separated from Sinners In doing Good reproving Sin delighting to do our Father's Will and submitting to his holy Pleasure in all things willingly drinking the Cup he putteth into our hands and in glorifying him on Earth that he may glorify us in Heaven 5. To this belongs all that the Scripture chargeth upon us in those full and comprehensive Precepts of fearing God departing from Evil loving Him with all the Heart Mind and Might keeping his Charge doing his Will walking in his Counsel chusing the narrow Way and exceeding the Righteousness of Scribes and Pharises by being impartial in our Obedience and chiefly attending the weightier matters of the Law and by being sincere and humble not glorying in our pious Attainments and Actions but rather hiding them excepting those things which for Example's sake must be publick and such as the concealing them proceeds from Cowardise and fear of Reproach 6. There is included in it the faithful managing of our particular Callings as the Magistrates being just and ruling over Men in the Fear of God the Ministers Care of Souls praying for the People and shewing them the right way endeavouring to turn many to Righteousness The Peoples revering cheerfully attending and obeying them that watch for their Souls The Parents care and bringing up Children in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord the Child's Obedience the Master's Justice and Kindness the Servant's Diligence and Faithfulness and the Subjects unspotted Allegiance and Obedience for Conscience sake And all other our Duties in our several Places Stations Employments and Relations 7. There must be added as pertaining to it all the most serious part of the Christian Life employed in fervent Prayers and Thanksgiving Self-Examination serious and Divine Meditations and solemn and fruitful attending the Publick Worship of God consisting chiefly in the Word preached and in Prayer and Sacraments Lastly To this must be joyned the most refined and spiritual part of Religion consisting in suppressing the most inward Motions of Vanity Pride Envy Malice Unbelief worldly inordinate Love carnal Affections and Desires in keeping the Mind as much as may be intent and without Wandrings in Prayer and other devout Exercises of Religion and in attending in them to more than a natural Fervour and Devotion in the Imagination only moved by well composed and fit Words even to a Devotion consisting in the real Exercise of Faith Humility holy Love and Fear and other Graces and in

Temptations and Mischiefs When our Call is clear our Way is safe Moreover the Practice of this leads me into much Acquaintance with God my very praying is an acquainting with Him And if in every thing I pray I shall in every thing give Thanks and this still brings me into more Acquaintance with him By this means my Life will be filled up with a going to and returning from God X. The real Christian loves Solitude Solitude is no Burden to a real Christian he is least alone when alone His Solitude is as busy and laborious as any part of his Life It is impossible to be Religious indeed and not to love Solitude in some measure for all Duties of Religion cannot be performed in Publick It is also a thing as noble as 't is necessary to love to converse with our own Thoughts The vain Mind doth not more naturally love Company than the Divine Mind doth frequent retiring Such have Work to do and Meat to eat the World know not of Their Pleasures are secret and their chiefest Delight is between God and themselves The most pleasant part of their Life is not in but out of the World XI There is more necessary to the rendring us truly Religious than a mere external Revelation of Truth True Religion is Heaven born for to the perfecting of it in any Soul not only the outward Revelation is necessary but also an inward Secret and particular Divine Impression The savouring of Divine Things is from the Power of the Highest over-shadowing the Mind for till God makes this inward Impression Men are not able to perceive the Things of God There must be a Light within us as well as without us otherwise the Gospel may be hid even where it shines so that whoever conclude aright that they are under the Power of Religion must experience something very supernatural something that is the Work of God and not of Man something above all their own or the Power of the whole World XII Religion in the Practice of it is most highly Rational Religion makes a Man live up to his Reason So far as a Man is a Christian so far is Reason exalted sitteth in the Throne and governs and commands all the Powers of the Soul Religion enlightens and strengthens Reason and Reason helps and serves Religion Reason is inseparable from the Soul we shall be rational in Heaven and Grace is the Recovery of right Reason The whole Practice of Godliness both in Divine and Moral Duties and the frame of a Christian's Spirit is but the Rational Consequence of two great Principles which the Christian hideth and embraceth in his Heart viz. That there is a God and that the Scripture is his Word The Inferences from these two and the Life of a Christian are the same XIII Religion in the Practice of it is a living in and conversing with God True Relion makes a Man not only live above the World and in Converse with his own Reason but also to live out of himself in God conversing much with him A real Christian will deny himself for God quit all Self-interest and resign to him in all Points of Duty and Service God's Glory is his End his Work his Direction He takes no Pleasure in himself nor in any thing without himself further than he seeth the Stamp of God upon it He forgets himself and minds nothing but the Will of God triumpheth in nothing more than in his own Nothingness and God's All-sufficiency and Fulness This is having nothing and yet possessing all things This is Divine Life and the heighth of Religion to know and perceive that not only as to our Natural Life we depend upon Providence and live and move in God But that also as to our Spiritual Life we receive all of his Fulness and are acted by a Life in and from him Of this I desire to be still more and continually sensible XIV Religion gives us a real Enjoyment of God The true Christian liveth above himself not only in a way of Self-denial but in the very Enjoyment of God His Fellowship is with the Father and with the Son He every where and in every thing seeketh out God in Ordinances Duties and Providences whether prosperous or adverse nothing pleaseth unless God may be found in it or admitted into it That is to him an Ordinance indeed wherein he meeteth God That is a merciful Providence indeed in which appears much of the Finger of God God is nearer to the true Christian than to others for there is an inward feeling an Intellectual Touch which Carnal Men have not And herein is the very Soul of Religion and the Quintessence of it that it unites us in a nearness to God and gives us already to enjoy him XV. Religion gives a Man the power of himself who by Nature is his own worst Enemy True Religion gives a Man a great Command of and restores him to a just Power and Dominion over himself by subduing in him his own Will and Passions Man in his depraved Condition is himself his greatest Enemy For the Devil and World prevail against him not by their own Strength but by the Treachery and Baseness of his own Heart The Destruction of Souls is of themselves Ignorance and neglect of God takes away Fear and there is in him such an Inclination to Sin as leads him to a delightful Entertainment of Temptations so that it is not so much the Devil and the World without as the Devil and the World within not the Baits of Honour Wealth and Pleasure without but Ambition Covetousness and Sensuality within which prevail upon Men. Wherefore unto purified Souls and mortified Minds many Temptations do in a great measure cease to be Temptations XVI Self-denial bears a great part in the practice of true Religion The great Property of true Religion is that it teaches Self-dental which Self-denial is indeed the Foundation of Religion and the Sum of all the Precepts of the Gospel Every true Christian sincerely though imperfectly denies himself and makes a Free-will Offering of himself to God in resigning to him his Will And indeed we can never have Peace in Prosperity unless our Will as to Action be swallowed up in the Divine Will nor can we have Contentment in Adversity except our Will be complying with God's Will This is the great Victory to conquer our selves and to him that thus overcomes is the Promise given of sitting with Christ in his Throne XVII We glorify God not by giving to him but by receiving from him I know I can add nothing to God's Glory I glorify him by receiving from him the Impress of his Glory upon me rather than by communicating any Glory to him When the frame of my Mind and Life is according to his Prescription when I am most like to him when a Spirit of Holiness and Love runneth through all my Actions then I glorify him God seeketh his own Glory by communicating Grace and Happiness to me and

I glorify him by desiring and endeavouring to partake of his Grace and Happiness XVIII God's Being and Providence and Covenant are most agreeable things to purified Minds The Notion of God is most agreeable to my Mind I knew not how to live in the World if there were not a God to govern it His Being delights me his Providence supports me his Covenant and Love rejoyce me without these things I should not value my own Being and Life XIX Peace and Hope generally attend Sincerity I have Peace though not always Great Assurance my Hopes are such as keep me in the Way that leads to Heaven The Word delights me A proof of Sincerity God's Commands are not grievous to me I rejoice in the Promises his Ordinances are to me a Spiritual Feast The knowledge I have of God the notice I take of his Providence and meditation on his Word afford me no little pleasure XX. The Method of attaining Spiritual and Great Comfort Could I exercise Grace with greater strength and more fully mortifie Sin Could I believe more stedfastly pray more fervently walk more evenly and be more spiritual heavenly and humble I should have more strong and abiding Comforts But especially my Faith is weak and there is nothing I am more liable to than to distrust God and to be jealous of him and not to think my self secure without such Demonstrations of his Love as are not to be had and would take away Faith XXI A good Name is a great Blessing which God only can preserve to us A good Name ought to be valued It is better than precious Ointment a real and a promised Blessing is valuable next to Life if not equal to it It is an Honour to God and our Profession Heaven makes us capable of doing good and gives Strength to our Instructions and Reproofs and without it we become useless in the World But it is hard to keep a Good Name it requireth much Innocence Prudence and Watchfulness And when all is done unless God restrain the Spirits of Men every lying Tongue or malicious or unkind Spirit may blot our Name It is hard to preserve a good Name considering our own liableness to Miscarriages and the Enmity of the World against Holiness XXII The Certainty of a Future Glorious Life It is most certain there is a Life of Glory Not only the Scriptures assert it but it is also one of the Principles of Natural Divinity We have these things in the Heathens Creed That there is a God That the Soul of Man is Immortal and that there will be Rewards and Punishments in a Life to come But notwithstanding the Certainty of it it doth too little affect my Soul partly because there is some vail yet upon the great things of Heaven And as my Knowledge is little so my Faith is weak XXIII God must not only be known but also acknowledged God may in some sort be known and not acknowledged The one is rational and the other practical This is fruit and substance the other leaves and shadows To acknowledge God is to converse with him to have a lively sense of his Being All-governing Providence and of his Presence every-where to consider his Majesty Greatness and Glory with due Reverence his Wisdom with Esteem and Admiration his Power with Fear lest it should be improved against us and with Trust Pleasure and hope that it shall be imploy'd for us his Holiness with deep Reflection on our own Sinfulness and with desire to imitate such an excellent Patern XXIV Death is a Christian's Passage to Heaven To consider Death as a Passage to Heaven and the way to the Father will help a Christian chearfully to pass through the World and willingly to leave it XXV The necessity of having the Assistance of the Holy Ghost I find it hard to preserve entire my Communion with the Holy Spirit though I perceive my dependance upon him is very great He is the Original and Printiple of all Spiritual Life and Motion and without his continual breathing I am as a disjoynted weak Member which hath neither Consistency nor Uniformity in its Motions or Actions XXVI Conscience must not be offended by allowing any Sin I find it better to offend a World of Men than to offend my own Conscience Conscience is quickly offended but not so soon pacified Conscience hath a good Memory and will keep the Remembrance of Offences along time and give many a secret Wound and make Faith and Confidence in God weak and hinder the Vigor of Prayer and Freedom hi our Converse with him XXVII It is not good to pass immediately from much Business to Prayer I find it best to go from no kind of Employment that busieth my Head and scattereth my Thoughts immediately to Prayer it I may avoid it XXXVIII Christian Watchfulness is very necessary It is sadly experienced how Freedom from the Power of Sin may be impaired for want of Care and Watchfulness XXIX They that know God's Law and will consider and reflect will discern much Sin in themselves If we are not sensible of Sin in our Souls it proceeds either from Ignorance of what is Sin or from not reflecting on our selves They who know the strictness of God's Law and the degrees of Sin and are Observers of themselves will find many workings and motions of Pride vain Glory Love of the World Selfishness Envy and other evil Affections and that they cannot keep themselves clean without a continual Care of their Hearts XXX It is the spiritual part of Religion that is hard the outward part is easie XXXI The Remain of Sin with us is very active Sin within always works and labours to bring forth the deeds of the Flesh It is alway either enclining to Evil or hindring from Good or disframing the Soul and making it less meet for converse with God It deceives seduces and tempts and in some measure corrupts and pollutes all that we perform to God or do for him XXXII Sin cannot be mortified by our own Strength I find an Aptness when Sin afflicts me presently to promise to my self and God that I will do so no more and do resolve by Watchfulness and Prayer to prevent it And this will do something for a season till my Heat abates and my Sense of Sin wears off and then my Mortification vanishes also Therefore I resolve never to think of mortifying Sin by my own Strength but humbly to look up to God for the help of his Holy Spirit XXXIII There arises a great Pleasure from having resisted Temptations There will never be found so much Satisfaction in gratifying a Temptation as in a noble generous refusing of it The more I resist the more I find of Peace and the most pleasing Temptation denied brings with it the sweetest Consolation XXXIV It is better to prevent Sin than to admit it and then mortify it If Sin enters it must be dislodged again And it is far easier to prevent than to