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	truth_n	worship_v	16,055	5	9.8540	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A67020	A call to humiliation for the grievous sin of persecution in two sermons, preached at the publick fasts in Lemster, in the county of Hereford, Wednesday May 21 and June 18, 1690 / by William Woodward ...	Woodward, William, Minister of the Gospel.	1690 (1690)	Wing W3522; ESTC R23484	25,666	38

Jerusalem to the best of my knowledge there was never any before or since John 4. 21. Jesus saith unto her Woman believe me the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet in Jerusalem worship the Father God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in truth ver 24. 3. Though there had been many Temples in the land of Canaan used by the Natives in Honour of their false Gods yet the Lord would make use of none of them but directs they should be all demolished and a new one built Deut. 12. 2. Ye shall utterly destroy all the places wherein the Nations which ye shall possess served their Gods upon the Mountains and upon the Hills and under every green Tree The Land of Canaan was a place of learning before Israel came into it and of Religion too but it was corrupted with superstition and Idolatry in Josh 15. 15 42. We read of Kirjath Sepher Kirjath Sanna Cities of Books of learning or the Law called Deber as the Oracle for Wisdom Eloquence and Acuteness these Temples were Rich and pompous so far as we can guess by the remains we have of the History of those Times yet the Lord in his Jealousie would have none of them spared for Synagogues or Houses of Prayer because they had been set apart for Idolatrous purposes 4. Let 's observe the Nature and Condition of the Place which the Wisdom of God singles forth out of all the world where his Holy Temple should be built 't was Ornans Threshing floor 2 Chron. 3. 1. with the 2 Sam. 24. 18. Then Solomon began to build the House of the Lord at Jerusalem in mount Moriah where the Lord appeared unto David his Father in the Place that David had prepared in the Threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite There were many places at that time where the Holy People were wont to Sacrifice as Gilgal Shilo illa omnia post-ponit but the Lord slights all these and chooses the Threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite it 's likely that this Ornan was of Princely descent as he had a Princely mind which could readily part with any worldly Interest for Gods Service and Honour his mind was as great as his Birth and his devotion equal to both there might be some mystery in this choice which the Lord made of the Threshing Floor of Ornan to shew 1. That Temple-Work is hard work 't is Threshing 2. That Temple-Work is to separate between the Chaff and the Wheat the precious and the vile 3. That the separation will not be perfect till the end of all things mali in area nobiscum esse possunt in horreo non possunt The wicked may mingle with us in the Floor they shall not in the Garner 5. And Lastly Let 's consider what the Heathen would say of this Temple at Jerusalem which was the most magnificent and stately structure in the World excelling in glory no doubt but they would load it with Reproaches and say This Temple upon which King Solomon spent a hundred thousand Talents of Gold and a thousand thousand Talents of Silver is after all but Ornan's Threshing-floor 't is but a Barn our Temples are Holy Places and to be preferred before that at Jerusalem Now I have great assurance that King Solomon with all his wisdom was able to vindicate the House of God which he had built and upon a fair hearing to confound all those that disgraced it King Solomon could tell those Heathens that all their Temples were stained with Superstition and Idolatry which Ornan's Threshing-floor never was All their Temples were places of Spiritual Whoredoms they were Erected by Idolaters and Consecrated for Idolatrous uses and that his Temple at Jerusalem did as much excel all the Temples of the Heathen as a pure spotless Virgin doth an old wrinkled Harlot We shall now quit this Use of Examination and search no further into the stuff The Protestant Dissenters dare not flatter the Prerogatives of Princes to their Destruction they dare not Assent and Consent solemnly to that which they inwardly dislike they dare not depart from that Ordination which is according to the Scriptures and the practice of the purest Churches they dare not offer to the Lord that which costs them nothing nor submit to those Forms of Prayer which quench the Spirit of Prayer they dare not renounce Covenants as contrary to the known Laws when the Laws to them are utterly unknown they dare not but appear humbly in their places for the Restauration of the Godly Discipline of the Primitive Church since all allow 't is to be wished for they dare not but with Moses and Solomon keep to the pattern in the Mount notwithstanding the Inventions and Commandments of Men and if in all these things the Nonconformists are in the right and have in their Sackcloth witnessed to the Truth then ought the Church of England to hang down her head smite upon her breast and walk softly because she hath been cruel like the Ostrich in the Wilderness the Tongue of the sucking Child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth for thirst the young Children ask bread and no man breaketh it unto them they that did feed delicately are desolate in the streets they that were brought up in Scarlet embrace Dunghills Lam. 4. 3 4 5. We come now to the Second Use which is for Exhortation and here let me beg and beseech you to lay aside all consideration of our own and our Brethrens Sufferings and as the Elect of God put on bowels of compassion Col. 3. 12. It will be some evidence to us that we are the elect of God if we can put on bowels of Mercy if we can say in sincerity as I hope we shall O that our head were Waters and our eyes fountains of tears that we might make our Meeting Place a Bochim Judg. 2. 5. A place of bitter mourning like the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the Valley of Megiddo Zech. 12. 11. Because of all the Provocations and Abominations of England Scotland and Ireland the cry of our Sins is gone up to Heaven against us O let us endeavour by the cry of our Prayers and Tears to silence the cry of our Sins O Lord God put bowels of mercy into every one of us in the Hebrew language one word Rahem signifies both Bowels and Mercy and by a Metathesis of the Radical Letters is made herein which signifies Anathema to shew that if we are without bowels of Mercy in this day of our Kingdom 's Distress we are under the Curse and none of the Elect of God It is a Cain's mark upon Judas he lost his bowels Acts 1. 18. and upon King Jehoram too that he was diseased in his bowels 2 Chron. 21. 15. O! let us mingle our hearts and our prayers no less than our Faith with the holy Word of God as we go along and cry aloud that the God of all Grace and Father of Mercies would

please to heal the disease which is in our bowels and in the bowels of England Scotland and Ireland There is something peculiar in the Judgments which have been armed against us of this Generation here in England There was in our Metropolis of London such a consuming Pestilence as our Fathers never saw there they died by thousands where now they walk by thousands there was such a devouring Fire as our Fathers never saw a Fire which had not learnt to distinguish between sacred and prophane between the Bible and the Comedy between places of common Exchange and more Divine Commerce And for all this his Anger is not turned away but his hand is stretched out still Isa 5. 25. Our condition at this day is somewhat prodigious we are and have been for almost two years under the Influence of two Suns Alas for the Miseries and Desolations of Ireland there is the sound of the Trumpet the Alarms of War there is the devouring Sword there are Garments rouled in Blood Alas for disconsolate and desolate Ireland her Towns are Burnt her Houses are Spoiled her Virgins Ravished all places filled with Confusion and Slaughter Ireland is now an Aceldema a Field of Blood But Glory Glory to him that sits on the Throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever the Virgin Daughter of Scotland begins to awake and arise out of the Dust to sit and sing as in the days of her Youth as in the days when she came up out of the Land of Egypt Hos 2. 15. Now is fulfilled that which was spoken by Isaias the Prophet saying The Land of Zebulun and the Land of Nephthalim by the way of the Sea beyond Jordan Galilee of the Gentiles the people which sate in darkness saw great light and to them which sate in the Region and Shadow of death light is sprung up Mat. 4. 14 15 16. This is no new thing in the course of Divine Providence that those who were first in Trouble should be Relieved first There are two ways which I shall propose wherein we ought to shew forth our Bowels of Mercy for these Kingdoms 1. By our personal Reformation we Protestant Dissenters are more especially obliged to cast away every Idol of Gold and Silver to the Moles and to the Bats Isa 2. 20. 'T is said among the Heathen the Lord hath done great things for us and indeed the Lord hath done great things for us whereof we are glad Psal 126. 3 4. He hath broken the Horn of the wicked the Teeth of the ungodly he hath loosed our Bands taken the Burthen from our Shoulders and set our Feet in a large place The Lord hath turned again our Captivity and it is as the Streams in the South which wonderfully revives and comforts those that have born the heat of the day We have often heard that if there had been but four or five more holy Persons in Sodom Sodom had been spared and not destroyed by Fire and Brimstone from Heaven Gen. 18 32. Methinks I hear England Scotland and Ireland crying to us with a loud voice If ye Love us and have any Compassion for us then turn unto the Lord unfeignedly live like so many Nazarites keep your Covenants pay your Vows and perfume your Houses with the Morning and Evening Sacrifice of Prayer and Praise Dearly beloved in our Lord Jesus shall it be written down by the Angels which attend our solemn Assemblies that this Man and that Woman were Born amongst us this day Amen Amen Psal 87. 6. Secondly By Importunate and Fervent Prayer both for Church and State First That God would Anoint the Eyes of England with Eye-salve that she may see into those things which concern her peace Revel 3. 18. Let 's chuse rather to fall a Sacrifice for England s Prosperity than sow Pillows under her Elbows Ezek. 13. 18. lest she sleep the sleep of Death and become the scorn of Nations Lord enlighten England that she may see her sins and acknowledge them He that covereth his sin shall not prosper but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall find mercy Prov. 28. 13. The word is Pesha Piaculum his greater sin for we can readily enough confess our lesser sins but 't is our greater sin we are apt to cover deny excuse or lessen 'T is Death to reflect upon Herodias England hath touched the Lords Anointed and oppressed the Followers of the Lamb. She must not content her self to bewail on these days of Solemn Fasting and Prayer her Debaucheries though they are abominable but she must add to her Litany which she hath hitherto forgotten From all the sore Judgments of the Sword Famine and Pestilence which are wont to follow the Oppression and Persecution of the Truth Good Lord deliver us Lord open the Eyes of England to look into her Laws and see if there be none that are written in Blood Lord open the Eyes of England to look into her Courts of Judicature and see if Justice and Judgment have not been turn'd into Gall and Wormwood To look into her Armies and see if there be no Achans and Sons of Belial there To look into her Cathedrals and see whether that Pompous Worship be according to Gospel Rule To look into her Parochial Constitutions and see whether Wolves and Dumb Dogs are not set to watch over the Flocks and whether there be any thing of the Godly Discipline of the Primitive Church restored which was much wished for when our Fathers first cast off the Iron Yoke of Popery Secondly we should earnestly pray that the Lord would please by the Effusion and Conviction of his Spirit to work a National Repentance among us that as we have seen a change in the State we may be so happy as to see a change of Heart and Life Wo be to us if England be the door which turneth upon his hinges Prov. 26. 14. Lord God give us a National Repentance like to that of Nineveh Jonah 3. 5 10. So the People of Nineveh believed God and Proclaimed a Fast and put on Sackcloth from the greatest of them even to the least of them and God saw their works that they turned from their evil ways and God Repented of the evil that he said he would do unto them and he did it not Ninevehs Repentance was quick upon the first Sermon and Warning ver 4. at the motion of a Stranger it was general King Princes Nobles High and Low Rich and Poor all in Sackcloth nay the very Beasts the Herds the Flocks were mourners too it was serious and unfeigned they cryed mightily unto God ver 8. and Reformed their Lives it was upon a Peradventure ver 9. like to that in Joel 2. 14. Who knoweth if he will return and Repent and leave a Blessing behind him even a meat Offering and a Drink Offering unto the Lord your God Such a Repentance as this would help us as it did them when they were within fourty Days of Destruction God forbid that the Men