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	son_n	soul_n	7,964	5	5.0256	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A90892	A sermon preached upon Psalm 22, the former part of the first verse wherein is shewed, how, when and wherefore God doth desert his children, unto which is also annexed, certaine symptomes of a deserted condition, with directions unto those who have lost God's favour, how to get it : and directions likewise unto those who have gotten God's favour, how to keep it / by T.P.	Powell, Thomas, 1608-1660.	1674 (1674)	Wing P3075A; ESTC R43720	7,089	16

there is an intermission of thy Communion with God desertion is nothing else but an intermission of our Communion with God When thou canst not commune with God as heretofore then it is a signe there is some distance between God and thy Soul when that blessed intercourse I say which was ●heretofore between God and thy Soul is now obstructed then it is a signe that God hath received some offence from thee and so is become prejudiced through thy perverse unseeming and ungospel like walking towards him Secondly when thou dost desist from waiting upon God in the use of means then thou mayst be said to be in a deserted condition when the Ordinances of the Gospel which once were pleasant to thee are now but indifferent then it argues bad when a man is sick there are certain Symptomes by which it may be discovered and made known viz. His Looks are Metamorphosed Pulses beat and Appetite lost even so it is with a Sin-sick Soul with a Deserted Soul who may be known by those certain Symptoms afore hinted viz. she has not that Stomach as heretofore once she hungred after the means of Grace but now she is even surfeited with the plentifulness of it her former Appetite she has lost Thirdly when thy Faith touching God thy Soul and future Estate is not so clear as heretofore then thou mayst be said to be in a deserted condition Once thou didst believe that God was thy God but now thou art at a stand dost not know wha● to think of it thou thought'st that thy Soul once was in a good estate but now thou begins to question it once if one had asked thee a question concerning thy future estate thou couldst hav● given them a full and perfect answer but now such a questio● would puzzle thee Thus I say a Soul when in a deserted condition is at infinite uncertainties touching her future estate Fourthly when thy Graces are rather decreased than in creased then it is a sign that thou art in a deserted condition where a decay of Grace is there the absence of the especia● presence of God is presupposed when we grow rather down wards in our Graces than upwards it doth Prognosticate no● only a Desertion to come but a desertion even now as Su●cess and Prosperity is the effect of God's Presents so desertio● and distress is the effects of God's absence Fifthly When thy fear is greater than thy Faith then thou maist be said to be in a deserted condition as for instance when thou art so staggering in thy Faith as that thou art loath to rely upon trust in and adhaere to Christ for Salvation though the grounds of thy Faith are firm and substantial enough when thy fear I say doth usurp that Authority which Faith a lone doth claim then thy condition is very suspicious I come now to the second thing propos'd which is to shew those Times and Seasons that God most usually deserts a Soul in And first of all when God deserts he deserts in the time of Prosperity because then we are mighty apt to grow high and lofty and to aspire unto things that are so sublime as are beyond our Sphear and Orb for the which God doth oft-times desert u● Secondly in a time of security when we are apt to be so secure in our selves then God departs from us to the end that he might shake off our security Thirdly in a time of murmuring when we quarrel with God's providences and are angry with him upon no other Account but because he doth not humour us and do what we would have him to do I come now to the third thing propos'd viz. the proof of the point namely that though God may desert a Believer yet he remains the believers God still and herein I shall be brief lest I be prevented in that which yet lags behind And first of all the proof is evidenced in the Text My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Here a desertion is intimated but still God continues in the relation of a Father to the Soul see that excellent place of Scripture for the further confirmation of this Rom. 8.38 John 10.28 The Sacred Writ doth infinitely abound with Scriptures of this kind Secondly God hath entred into a Covenant of Life with a Believer Jer. 31.31 Therefore though the Lord doth desert it is only for a time the Lord will not cast off for ever saith the Church in Jeremiah's time the Lamentations of Ieremiah 3.31 Thirdly Those Obligations which are injoned on God and the Soul are not temporary but in aeternum that is for ever As soon as ever conjugal affections are contracted between God and the Soul in aeternum durabit it lasts for ever But to conclude with this particular further consider God is alwayes the Beleivers God First Because the Father in Election is Infallible 2. The Son in his Redemption shall not be frustrated 3. The Spirit in Application of the benefits of Christ's Passion is irresistable and unchangeable 4. Because the Regeneration of God's people is perpetual 5. Because that power by which God's people is upholded is invincible and unconquerable I come now unto the fourth thing proposed which is to shew what are those ends and designs that God propounds unto himself in the deserting of a Soul And the first is Probandi gratia for tryal sake God many times deserts us and leaves us to the end that he might know how strong our Faith is how unfeigned our Love is or inflamed our desires are and how hot our Zeal is for him and to him God oft-times deales with us as the Mother doth with her Child in running away from it to know whether the child is fond of her and whether it will run af●er her Secondly God deserts us abstinendi gratia and leaves us to the end that we might leave our sins for while we regard iniquity God will not love us neither will he dwell with us God is a holy God and cannot see sin with approbation and allowance in any of his creatures From hence you may observe what is the great proposition of the Covenant of Grace which is either take God and leave sin or leave God and take sin many times we are apt to grow in love with our sins therefore God departs from us to see which we like best he or sin Thirdly God sometimes deserts us and leaves us aestimandi gratia that we may prise him the more when he comes to us again The Presents of a Friend that has been absent a great while how welcome is it even after this manner it is between God and us when we have not seen his face a great while how sweet then is his reconciled face unto us Oh! Poor soul the great reason why God stayes so long from thee is that thou might'st prise him the more when he comes again unto thee Fourthly God many times leaves us and deserts us cavendi gratia to the end we might have