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	word_n	22,511	5	4.8766	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A50460	The cause and cure of strife and divisions being the substance of two sermons preach'd in London, March the 12th and 26th, 1695 / by Richard Mayo ...	Mayo, Richard, 1631?-1695.	1695 (1695)	Wing M1521; ESTC R3763	24,752	40

shall not hurt nor destroy in all his Holy Mountain Isai 11.7 8 9. He hath said Verse 13. That the Envy of Ephraim shall depart and the Adversaries of Judah shall be cut off that Ephraim shall not envy Judah nor Judah vex Ephraim He hath said That Judah and Ephraim though two Sticks shall be joyn'd one to another into one Stick and they shall become one in his hand Ezek. 37.16 17. And he hath farther promis'd That he will turn to his People a pure Language and they shall serve him with one consent or shoulder Zeph. 3.9 That he will give them one Heart and one Way These and divers other Promises God hath made of this sort which he likes his People should plead and put him in remembrance of I wish I could say that this Generation shall not pass away till these things come to pass But considering the improbability of such a Blessing for the present I fear I may take up Balaam's words and say Who shall live when God will do this In mean time what reason have we to besiege Heaven and apply to God by Fasting and Prayer to do this together and to do this apart that God would cause these Janglings and Contentions that are among his People to cease If some Plague or Drought came upon us we should reckon it high time to Fast and Pray Yet these as one observes are in themselves but Miseries when our Contentions are so our Miseries that they are also our Sins It may be these Devils of Strife and Division will be driven out no other way but by Fasting and Prayer Let me conclude all with a double Exhortation The first is to those that are Ministers They are the Ambassadors of Peace they are sent by him who is the Prince of Peace therefore they should use their utmost Endeavours to prevent and remove all Strife and Divisions Yet how it comes to pass I know not they are many times the greatest promoters thereof One hath observ'd That there are few Rents and Contentions in Churches in which Ministers have not the chief hand Jerome hath a remarkable Note upon Hosea 9.8 He saith Veteres scrutans Historias nullos invenire possum scidisse ecclesiam praeter eos qui Sacerdotes a Deo positi fuerunt searching the ancient Histories I can find none that have rent the Church like those that sustain the Office of Ministers This is a sad Charge and it is too justly laid upon many of that Order Luther pray'd that the Church might be deliver'd from sundry Evils and among the rest a pastore contentioso from contentious Preachers or Pastors It touch'd me to the quick the other day to hear one tell me That we who are Ministers are the cause of all the Contentions that are in City and Country at this day I thought with my self there was too much of truth in what he said If we would unite and agree our Hearers would unite and agree likewise generally it is like Pastors like People They are tuba instata a sounding Trumpet they sound according to the Breath we breath into them either a Retreat or an Onset a Parly or an Alarum Oh how inexcusable are we that teach others should be peaceable and be our selves turbulent We are like Physicians that prescribe such Rules to their Patients as they never observe themselves It will never be well with us till we give our Hearers a large and fair Copy of Peace and Unity in our own Practices 2. I would exhort private Christians to this Duty to follow after Peace and the things that make for it If it be possible as much as in you lieth have peace with all Men and especially one with another Let me exhort you as the Apostle Paul doth these Corinthians Hear what he says to them in his first Epistle Chap. 1.10 I beseech you Brethren by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you but that ye be perfectly joyn'd together in the same mind and in the same judgment Hear what he says to them in his second Epistle Chap. 13.11 Finally Brethren farewel Be of one mind live in peace and the God of love and peace shall be with you Oh that this Exhortation could reach all the Christians in England and in London Oh that every Pulpit in this Kingdom and City did ring with this Message Peace and Union is that which all seem to desire Pacem te poscimus omnes Ask every Man in this Congregation or in this City Have you any hand in the Strife and Divisions that are among us and he will answer No not I. Again ask any one Don't you desire Peace and Love and Union among your Brethren and Neighbours and he will answer Yes I do But though all seem to desire it how few be they that do really endeavour it or that will be at any cost or pains to accomplish it all exclaim against Strife and Division but though every one cries out of the Thief who will be at the trouble to stop him Give me leave now in the close of all to commend to you some moving Considerations 1. Consider what God is He is as was said before the God of Love and Peace he 's call'd 1 Thess 5.23 the very God of Peace And in 2 Thess 3.16 the Lord of Peace himself The Son of God our Lord Jesus Christ he is the Prince of Peace He is King of Salem which is by interpretation King of Peace His entering into this World was solemniz'd with a Song of Peace whil'st he staid in this World he preach'd and made Peace When he departed out of this World he bequeath'd unto his Followers the precious Legacy of Peace The holy Spirit of God is the great worker of Peace Peace is one of the Fruits of the Spirit There is a cluster of these Fruits in Gal. 5.22 there 's Love Joy Peace Long-suffering Gentleness Goodness What sweet Fruits are here Many Christians live as if they had never tasted any of them Well but what an Argument is here to provoke us to peaceableness This is to make us like unto God to resemble Father Son and Spirit Oh how contrary do they walk to God who walk in Strife and Contention 2. Consider what you are and profess to be You are the Children the Sons and Daughters of Peace You are call'd to Peace 1 Cor. 7.15 You have Peace with God and therefore you should have Peace one with another you are going to one Home and therefore you should not fall out by the Way Why should there be Strife betwixt Abraham and Lot seeing they were Brethren Oh consider Christians you are Children of the same Father Members of the same Body Professors of the same Faith Partakers of the same Spirit Retainers to the same Lord you have the same Baptism and hope of your Calling and if you fall out who shall agree You should be looped together as

The Churches of Christ are cut in pieces like the Levite's Wife by the envy of those that are the Members thereof There is a Spirit in good Men themselves that lusteth unto Envy and where this is predominant there is nothing that can stand before it 2. A second Lust is Pride These two Envy and Pride are Worms that breed in the sweetest Roses The later of these is as productive of Divisions as the former Solomon says Prov. 13.10 That only by Pride comes Contention By only is meant chiefly If there be no cause of contention yet Pride will occasion it Proud persons are always quarrelsom like gouty and swollen Legs they keep at a distance one from another 3. A third is Passion Anger and Strife are near a kin Prov. 29.22 Solomon there says An angry Man stirreth up strife You had the same before in Prov. 15.18 Passionate persons disturb the Peace of the places where they live and the Societies to which they do belong 4. A fourth is Covetousness This is the root of all Evil and more particularly of Strife and Division One says that Meum Tuum make all the stir that is in the World The sweetness of Lucre amongst Men and Christians too is likened by another to Hony that is set before Bears they will fight and tear one anothers Throats out to come at it 5. A fifth is Self-seeking This is the great Incendiary in Church and State it sets Men and Christians together by the ears they that seek and love themselves are ready upon all occasions to fall out with others 6. A sixth is Tale-bearing This is grown an Epidemical Evil and it is the cause of much contention it separates very Friends Solomon says Prov. 26.20 Where no Wood is there Fire goeth out so where there is no Tale-bearer the Strife ceaseth 7. The seventh is Evil Surmising You read of this in 1 Tim. 6.4 and there 't is coupled with Strife and Railing and 't is one great occasion of it By Evil Surmising is meant groundless Jealousie and Suspicion This is contrary to Christian Charity which thinks no evil which believes and hopes all things and takes every thing by the best handle 3. What if I should add in the third place That God hath a hand in those Divisions that are amongst his People 'T is very plain that his hand was in that Division which was between the two and the ten Tribes of Israel Read 1 Kings 12.24 There the Lord tells Rehoboam and the House of Judah and Benjamin Ye shall not go up nor sight against your Brethren the Children of Israel for this thing is from me Compare this with the 15th Verse of the same Chapter Our Saviour tells his Hearers there must be Scandals or Offences and the Apostle Paul tells the Corinthians there must be Heresies and it may as well be said there must be Divisions God doth not only permit but for wise Reasons he doth appoint and ordain them he doth it that the approv'd may be made manifest that the Graces of his People may be try'd and exercis'd He orders it thus in judgment to wicked Men. Divisions amongst the godly are a stone of stumbling unto the ungodly God said in the Old Testament and 't is cited in the New Behold I lay in Zion a Stumbling-stone Wicked sinners rejoyce at the division of God's People 't is Nuts to them to see these quarelling and contending with one another But this it may be will cost them dear it may occasion their stumbling and falling and the breaking of their Necks Thus you have seen the Cause but what is the Cure of these Contentions and Divisions in the Churches of Christ and among particular Christians Let me speak a little to this and I think it may be a word in season The Christians in Corinth were not more divided and shatter'd than the Christians in London are at this day What Jeremy saith of the Israelites that may be said of us Our Wounds are grievous our Bruises are incurable and we have no healing Medicines there is no Balm in our Giliad nor Physician in our Climate I have heard of a Disease that is call'd Opprobrium Medicorum The Disgrace of Physicians because they do not know what to say or do to it I may say of this evil Disease call'd Contention and Division it is Opprobrium Theologorum The Disgrace of Divines they know not what to say or do in order to the healing of it Once a Year there is commonly a Disease in London which is epidemical and raging but Division is a Distemper that rageth and is rampant among us all the Year long and there is no stopping of it Nevertheless I shall prescribe something that may have a tendency to the Cure hereof Prosper me O Lord I pray thee at this time and let my Words be acceptable to these thy Servants may they profit by them themselves and may they as there is occasion communicate them unto others All that I shall say at least for the present upon this Subject shall be reduc'd to two general Heads 1. Be you throughly perswaded and convinced of the great Evil that is in Strife and Division This one Perswasion and Conviction is enough to keep a Child of God a godly Man or Woman from being concern'd therein I observe the generality of Professors are ready to think that there is no evil in Contention and Division but as Jonah said he did well to be angry so they are apt to say they do well to contend and divide they behave themselves so as if they thought it to be their Duty and not their Sin When they are exhorted to mortifie and put away Strife and Division they are ready to say as Pilate in another case Why what evil hath it done or what evil can it do Lying and Swearing Drunkenness and Uncleanness these and such like are Evils and gross Evils but what evil is there in Contention and Division Now for the conviction of such I shall endeavour to shew you the great evil that is therein And the Lord set it home upon our Hearts 1. Contentions and Divisions they are from the Flesh that dwelleth in us that is the bitter root from whence they spring Hence 't is that the Corinthians so far as these prevail'd in them are said to be carnal or fleshly to have more Flesh than Spirit in them Hence 't is also that they are call'd Works of the Flesh Gal. 5.20 There the Apostle reckons up many manifest Works of the Flesh and among them he rangeth Variance Strife Emulations and Seditions which is the very word that is rendred Divisions here in my Text. This one thing were enough to shew the great evil that is in Strife and Division that they are Works of the Flesh and reckon'd among the most notorious Sins such as Fornication Adultery Witchcraft Idolatry Drunkenness Revellings and the like 2. Contentions and Divisions especially such as are in Churches and