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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

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A64466	A fast of Gods chusing plainly opened for the help of those poor in spirit, whose hearts are set to seek the Lord their God in New-England, in the solemn ordinance of a fast : wherein is shewed, 1, the nature of such a fast, 2, the testimony God will give thereunto of his gracious acceptance, 3, the special seasons wherein God will bear witness to such a fast, 4, some helps to faith that is shall be so, 5, why such a fast is so acceptable and succesfull, 6, how much this concerns Gods people in New-England : preached on a fast called by publick authority, on 26, 1[6]74 / by Thomas Thacher...	Thacher, Thomas, 1620-1678.; Mather, Increase, 1639-1723.	1678 (1678)	Wing T830; ESTC R9807	27,462	32

and those that are under the powerfull command of seeking his face should seek his face in vain but saith God I have not said to the seed of Jacob seek ye my face in vain Isa 45. 1● 2. The gracious promises that are before us are a sufficient security that a Fast that God hath chosen shall bring such gracious acceptation as those eight promises mentioned and also Psal 50. 15. Call upon me on the day of trouble and I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me And so 1 Kin. 8. 38. with many other verses before and after and Christ himself also promiseth that whatsoever ye shall ask in his name he will do it for you c. John 14 14. 3. The manner of Gods dealing with his servants establisheth this truth unto us Psal 119. 132. 133. c. Be mercifull unto me as thou usost to doe to those that love thy name 4. That God doth not suffer the Fastings and the Prayers of others when they are hearty though not spiritual to goe without their reward The young Ravens shall not cry unto him but he will take care of them he respects a very Ahab that sold himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord 1 Kin. 21. 25. and yet v. 29. Because he humbleth himself before me I will not bring the evil in his dayes And so when Nineveh humbled themselves he saved them from destruction though it was against the very grain of the soul of Jonah Jon. 3. 10 Lastly It must needs be so because there is nothing stands in the way to hinder it A Fast that God hath chosen removes all impediments that stand in the way of mercy the great obstruction is some sin committed or some habitual impenitency remaining for when the heart is truly humbled and broken the soul is prepared for some degree of mercy wherein the acceptation of the Suppliant may be made manifest Thus of the fourth general Head V. The next thing is the Reason why God will do thus for his people upon their fasting the Fast which God hath chosen I answer 1. Negatively not for any inherent excellency in their fastings and prayers or services for what benefit hath God by our humbling our selves laying aside our Ornaments so humbling our bodies or by our diligent attention to external actions but positively I shall give you three reasons of it Reas 1. Because it is a Fast that he hath chosen and therefore it is so succesfull were it of mans chusing it might be disappointed and yet God not dishonoured but he chuseth it and appoints it and now Gods honour lyes at stake for a gracious answer It was the glory of God in Israel to be manifestly near to that people in all they called upon him for c. Reas 2. Because the persons are accepted if such persons and therefore their offerings are accepted also The Petition of a favourite is not easily rejected by the Prince especially being such a Petition as his Prince hath chosen and appointed for him They are in a state of favour with God and therefore their Petitions must needs be successful The spiritual Sacrifices of this royal holy Priesthood are acceptable to God by Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 2. 5. Reas 3. Because there is an admirable misterious Communion between God the Father Son and holy Ghost and the right Suppliant or the person that fasts in the fast which God hath chosen for 1. there is not an holy prayer put up unto God but its Original is God the Father that prayer of Faith which proceeds from the heart of a Christian was 1. In the heart of God the Father and he through the Intercession and Mediation of his Son sends it down by his holy Spirit into the heart of a poor sinner and so stamps the Image of it upon the heart of the poor sinner that he believes and then the Holy Ghost that stamped it there takes it from thence and presents this through Christ unto the Father then the Fathers heart is to give forth the answer through the Intercession of the Son and to give notice of it to the Soul of a Christian by his holy Spirit And when thou hast received the answer the same Spirit works in thy heart to return praise and Thanksgiving by the Son unto the Father so that here is a marvellous spiritual mysterious Communion in this between God the Father Son and holy Ghost the poor believer therefore such fasting cannot be in vain Thus of the fifth general head 6. Of what concernment this may be unto our selves and truly it is of very great concernment We are the people that do succeed Israel We are Jacob. Gods people that are under the same profession as the Lord speaks of them here ver 2. that seek God dayly and delight to know his wayes this is our profession we are a Nation that seek Justice that is our plea that we must do right and not forsake the Ordinances of our God this I say is our profession that we are bound to hearken after Gods will and enquire after the Ordinances of Justice we are they that by our dayly practice in appearing before God in solemn Assemblies profess that we delight to approach to him therefore we are they that have need to take notice of this great and solemn Truth that the Fast that is not of Gods chusing will be ineffectual but that which is of Gods chusing will prevail and that to five or six ends 1. To build us up in knowledge there are great misteries contained in this Truth I shall touch those that are of present consideration 1. It teacheth you that there is a vast difference between duty and duty between religious performances and religious performances that which is spoken of fasting reaches through the whole body of Religion there is a prayer that God hath chosen and a prayer that God hath not chosen and so this or that Ordinance or observation there is that which God will own and accept there is that which he will not countenance nor bless our God is a God that will be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth the manner and the end of our worship discovers what the nature of that service is or of that particular religious act which we put forth towards him look then to your own Spirits in your worship of God as it is said of the person worshipping so it is true of the worship he is not a Jew that is one outwardly but he that is one inwardly Rom. 2. last verse whose praise is not of men but of God you may be outwardly a Christian and inwardly an heathen in the sight of God all these are uncircumcised in heart sayes the Prophet when he reckons up the Nations together with Judah you may be a Heathen in heart whilest you are in the outward man a Christian your Circumcision may become uncircumcision before God alas what 's an outward Baptisme if your

practice be suitable unto frequent Fastings It is marvellous to consider for his Spirit knoweth what shall come to pass in the world and inclineth the hearts of his Messengers accordingly how God many times causeth the words of his Servants in their publick Ministrations to fall in with his providential dispensations of which we have some Instance in the Sermon herewith emitted which was delivered some years agoe even a little before our late troubles The Lord knew that Boston yea that New-England would have cause for many dayes of Humiliation and therefore stirred up the heart of his Servant before hand to give instructions and Directions concerning the acceptable performance of so great a duty Some that were affected in hearing the Word preached and that did in short hand take what was delivered have Importuned the Reverend Author to give way unto its publication unto whose desires he hath at last conceded And I know not but that the publication of what is in this way presented may be as seasonable as the preaching of it at first was For if my Conjectures fail not the dayes are at hand when New-England will have as great cause as ever to attend Humiliations and supplications before the most High There is no general Reformation visible in New-England nor so much as an heart to comply with the Scripture expedient for that end We have seen 〈◊〉 Horse amongst us even bloody judgements and desolations but are not bettered thereby Now there is a pale Horse come and his Name that sits thereon is Death Stars are falling our Heaven and our Earth are shaking What will come next who can say The Decree hath not as yet brought forth wherefore such a Fast as the Lord hath chosen would be a blessed means to lengthen out our Tranquility And O that New-England knew in this her day th● things that belong to her peace Increase Mather Boston 2. mon. 1678. Isaiah 58. 5 6. Is it such a Fast that I have chosen a day for a man to afflict his Soul c. Is not this the Fast that I have chosen c IT is my beloved hard work yea one of the hardest parts of the work of the Ministry to awaken a people that are rocked a sleep in sin especially a professing people that are lifted up to eminent degrees in profession exalted with great priviledges and have their hearts raised with these things unto great pride this I say is a great and difficult work of the Ministry to awaken such But such a People this Prophet had to do withal and therefore you see what be must do ver 1. Cry aloud spare not stretch thy throat spare no pains lift up thy voice like a Trumpet and shew my peopl their transgressions the house of Jacob their sins They had Watchmen amongst them but they did not watch Dogs that did not bark Isai 56. 10. and therefore the Prophet must cry aloud and shew them their sins Why were they so vile a people they were eminent in profession exalted in priviledges and arrogant in both as appears in five or six things 1. They seek me daily ver 2. 2. They delight to know my wayes 3. They did Righteousness and they forsook not the Ordinances of God they were a practicing People as well as a knowing people and further they enquire and ask after the Ordinances of Justice and profess great delight in approaching to God and that not only in common and ordinary duties but extraordinary ver 3. We have fasted and we have afflicted our Souls in our Fast and yet saith God to the Prophet Cry aloud spare not lift up thy voice like a Trumpet and make them to know their transgressions c. They were yet a people that did need awakening notwithstanding all this But when was this people in this frame and when was there such matter of complaint against them I Answer in general it was when they did keep hypocritical Fasts which are here described ver 3. 4. they did Fast but yet they did not Fast It was a Fast as to the external observation when it was not a Fast as to the spiritual Efficacy and right performance of this holy Service They were lifted up with their Service performed and quarrelled with God and complained as if some notable injury were done them in that they used Gods remedy for their malady and yet their malady was not removed More porticularly This seems to me to have reference to the dayes of Hezekiah You knew what glorious dayes they were and how zealous he was in Reformation insomuch that he brake in pieces the brazen Serpen● which Moses had made which they had so long admired and burnt Incense to 2 King 18. 4. and what solemn Fasts did they keep and what delight had they in approaching unto God 2 Cron. 30. 21. the Children of Israel that were present at Jerusalem kept the Feast of unleavened bread seven dayes with great gladness and the Priests and Levites praised the Lord day by day singing with loud Instruments unto the Lord. There was great joy But alas as soon as these things were well over and they had purged out Idolatry in Chap. 32. 1. After these things and the establishment thereof Senacherib comes up against them and their wound as to their Civil affairs is not healed And in the sixth year of Hezekiah the ten Tribes are led away by Shalma●●●ir 2 King 18. 10. that is in the ninth year of Hoshea King of Israel Samaria was taken c. because they obeyed not the voice of the Lord their God but transgressed his Covenant and all that Moses the servant of the Lord commanded and would not hear them nor do them Now ver the 13. In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah Zenacherib took all the fenced Cities of Judah c. Here was Israel carried Captive before and did not Judah fast then in good Hezekiahs dayes here also is Judah set upon and the fenced Cities taken and was Hezekiah and the people asleep all this while did they not fast and pray yea but in the Issue Jerusalem is besieged and Rabshekah blasphemes c. was not here matter of fasting and prayer yet notwithstanding all this Jerusalem is in danger of destruction why then wherefore have we fasted say they and thou seest it not wherefore have we afflicted our Soul and thou takest no knowledge here is their quarrel with God and God Answers this in ver 3. 4. He gives I say the Reason of it 1. By discovering their sins that still remain notwithstanding their Fasts so that their Fasts were indeed no Fasts 2. The benefits they should have obteined if their Fast had been a Fast indeed Is it such a Fast as I have chosen for a man to afflict his Soul for a day and to hang down his head as a bulrush and to spread sackcloths c. oh no! but this is the Fast that I have chosen to loose the bands of wickdness to