Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	fear_n	lord_n	wisdom_n	5,389	5	6.9425	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A62960	An exhortation unto reformation amplified, by a discourse concerning the parts and progress of that work, according to the word of God, delivered in a sermon preached in the audience of the General Assembly of the Massachusets colony, at Boston in New-England, May 27, 1674, being the day of election there / by Samvel Torrey ...	Torrey, Samuel, 1632-1707.; Mather, Increase, 1639-1723.	1674 (1674)	Wing T1916; ESTC R13732	47,259	54

of Israel who offer themselves willingly to the help of the Lord in the Work of Reformation in this time of general defection And surely this is the greatest Trust that we repose in you and therefore the highest hope expectation confidence and dependance that we place upon you as our Rulers Governours Leaders Publick Benefactors and Fathers That you will by the utmost improvement of your Power and Interest advance and establish the true pure and holy Worship of God and so far as it concerneth you not suffer these Churches no not this People to be corrupted no not this Land to be polluted and defiled with Will-worship A Religious Reforming Magistracy hath hither unto been our Crowning Mercy if God set You over us in mercy he will make you such a Magistracy And therefore our Prayers for you shall ever be That he that is the Light of Israel will be a Light unto you that you may be as the Light of Israel unto us And that you may be abundantly influenced with a Spirit of Government from Him whose all Government is that you may receive a large portion of that Spirit which resteth upon Him even a Spirit of Wisdome and Vnderstanding a Spirit of Counsel and of Might a Spirit of Knowledge and of the fear of the Lord that you may be of a quick understanding in his fear And that in your measure also Righteousness may be the girdle of your loins and Faithfulness the girdle of your reins that so you may feed and lead this people both in the skilfulness of your hand and the integrity of your hearts We also shall pray That you may be kept and carried above all the Temptations and Provocations of our Murmurings Dissentions and Rebellions that God may never be angry with you for our sakes and that it may never go ill with you for our sakes as also above all your own frailties and infirmities that God may never be provoked by our sins to suffer you to fall as once he did holy David that he might punish Israel We wish you all the blessings which those who are just ruling in the fear of God may expect that we might behold you as the Light of the Morning When the Sun riseth a Morning without Clouds that the Anniversary Revolution of this Government by our Annuall Election may be unto us as the rising Sun by which we may receive Influences of Divine Blessing which may cause us to grow up as the tender grass by the clear shining after rain that in your dayes the righteous may flourish and abundance of peace that we may enjoy Prosperity and Tranquility under this Magistracy and that there may be a peaceful and prosperous Succession of it from Generation to Generation that God continuing unto us our Judges as at the first and our Counsellers as at the beginning we may remain to be a City of Righteousness and a faithful City II. I shall take leave to propose this Exhortation unto the Ministry of these Churches nextly concerned as Publick Reformers in the Work of Reformation It is proposed in the Text directly To the Angel of the Church of Ephesus The Angels of the Churches are particularly directed unto and charged with this Work in the several Churches The first Ministry of these Churches it was eminently a Reforming Ministry extraordinarily qualified unto and improved in the Work of Reformation God made them great Reformers and wrought a great Work of Reformation by them and they lived faithfully labouring in that Work unto the death though not without some discouragement and some diminution of their joy and comfort from a prae-apprehension yea from some present appearance of the sad signs of the defection of these Churches before their departure That Ministry those Ministers they are generally departed some few here and there one onely of that Ancient Old England-Ministry remaining with us as the Crown and Ornament of our New-England-Presbytery And truly the remembrance of the departure of that Ministry with the signal Circumstances and said Consequences thereof may justly move lamentation they being divers of them carried away as it were in Chariots of sire I mean by an Anticipation of their translation in the ordinary course of Nature and when in the strength and travail of their Ministerial Labours for these Churches and with this Generation bearing a full clear Testimony unto the great duties and against the great sins of the Times and standing in the Gap before God to turn away impending Judgements Their Praise is yet fresh and flourishing in these Churches being legible in living Epistles of Commendation written not with Ink but by the Spirit of the living God They have a living Memory and a lasting Monument in every godly heart who hath experienced the converting quickning comforting presence and power of the Spirit in their Ministration They are departed and we have wept over their faces with that Lamentation My father my father the Chariots of Israel and the Horsmen thereof The Burthen of the Work of the Ministry and so of this great Work of Reformation in these Churches it now resteth upon you who are the present standing Ministry this New-England Ministry which is Coaevall and Coaetaneous with this New-England Generation Amongst whom I am not worthy to be mentioned as one though with the utmost expression of diminution as less then the least of those whom God hath called forth to take a part of this Ministry and therefore most unmeet and unworthy thus to speak unto you yet I am bold to beseech you to bear this Exhortation from the Lord Jesus Christ in whose Name I speak and say O Labour to be a Reforming Ministry Although there hath been a change of Ministers in most of the Churches yet we hope there is not a change of the Ministry but that the same Ministry is still remaining that is a Ministry of the same Constitution Spirit Principles Minde Judgement and Practise in all things pertaining to the Work of the Ministry in these Churches a Ministry which hath received not onely the Mantle but a portion of the Spirit of Elijah And therefore you are engaged to undertake to uphold and to carry on the same Work of Reformation in all the parts of it and to labour unto the progress of it in the Spirit and Power of it so far as you are concerned respecting either Doctrine Profession or Practise More especially God expecteth that you should promote the Work of Reformation in your several Churches and Congregations by the regular and thorough exercise of the Power of Christ committed unto you in the Administration of Doctrine and Worship which is the great Trust and Charge committed unto you to keep 1 Tim. 6.20 This is the Rod of his strength out of Zion whereby his people are made a willing people in the day of his power Psal 110.2 3. Exalt Christ by the due exercise of his Power in his Name that Christ may reign Ministerially in these Churches The

people for their recovery Hos 14.2.3 Take with you words and turn to the Lord and say unto him Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously c. Asshur shall not save us we will not ride upon horses neither will we say any more to the work of our hands Ye are our gods for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy I shall take leave now in the Conelusion to propose this general Exhortation unto Reformation more particularly unto those who are especially concerned as Reformers I. I crave leave to Apply my self yet with humility and sincerity as it becometh me speaking in the Name and fear of God unto Those who are or who shall be Established or Re-established this day in Place of Rule and Government among us as our Magistracy Much Honoured that which I have humbly to offer unto You in the Name of the Lord and on the behalf of this People it is this plain yet great word of Exhortation Whereby I do most humbly beseech you to labour in your Place by the utmost and most faithful improvement of your Power Interest Wisdome Grace and Spirit of Government which you have received from the Lord to promote this great Work of Reformation in all the Parts and in all the Degrees of it This Government and so this Magistracy it was through the most wife and merciful Providence of God constituted unto a more direct subserviency unto the Work of Reformation as the great and main design of it in the intentions both of God and of all his faithful People Therefore God Spirited our first Magistracy unto this Work of Reformation and prospered that glorious Work unto a very happy progress under their Civil Conduct of this Religious and Reforming people And now the Place the Power the whole Betrustment of this Reforming Magistracy it is by our Annual Election and so by a Providential Succession devolving upon You and remaineth vested in You. Therefore our eyes our hearts our hopes are under God and as to men much upon You as our Reformers It is our great hope and will be our great rejoicing to see the Plummet stin in the hand of Zerubbabel with those Seven to see a powerful and prosperous progress of the Work of Reformation under your hand labouring therein with a full concurrence of Divine Assistance True it is there are great Mountains standing before you but this is the Word of the Lord unto you Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit if the Lord Spirit you unto the Work they shall become a Plain and although the work be much declined it shall be again revived and the Topstone thereof shall be brought forth with Shoutings and Acclamations of Grace unto the glory of God It hath been a great if not the greatest Honour which God hath pu upon Civil Magistracy and that which addeth true Glory unto its Greatness That he hath made Civil Magistrates Reformers Seldome hath there been any great Work of Reformation wrought either in the Church of old or in the succeeding Ages of it but God hath made Kings Princes and Civil Magistrates his Ministers in it And alwayes in the most flourishing state of the Kingdome of Christ he hath caused the Mountains to bring peace and the little hills righteousness The Church on earth will be in the height and top of its prosperity when the Mountain of the Lords House shall be exalted in the tops of the Mountains when Kings shall be her Nursing-fathers and Queens her Nursing-mothers You have the most encouraging Examples of the most Illustrious Refor mers before you You know this people their present spirit state and way You have been with us at Massah at Meribah and at Kibroth-hattaavah where we have both tempted God and tryed you You may well say of us as Moses did of them I know thy rebellion and thy stiff neck and so you may by a solemn Contestation call Heaven and Earth to record against us as he did sometime against them You are to labour with a very immorigerous rebellious backsliding generation under an extraordinary juncture of Provocations and Temptations Difficulties and Dangers O so much the more I am imboldened in the Name of the Lord with an humble importunity to beseech your Care Constancy Courage and Faithfulness in this your great Duty lest the Ruine of this Self-destroying people should be found under your hand It will be your Glory not onely to be Reformers but Repairers and Restorers to Repair the Breach and to raise up Foundations for many Generations Such as You are in Scripture called not onely Gods but Saviours and Saviours raised up upon Mount Sion we style you so with Modesty and Sobriety in Scripture phrase and sense as still remembring that you must die like men But hereby we understand that you are concerned in betrusted with somewhat that is Sacred you cannot approve your selves to be Gods more then by the Patronage of Religion you cannot approve your selves to be Saviours more then by being Reformers Reformation will be our Salvation We are to chuse you this day for God and so doing we may hope that God will in mercy chuse you for us You being so Chosen both by God and his people are under a double and so indispensible Obligation even by your Election to be for God and for his people that is for the promotion and preservation of that which is the main Interest of God and his people here which is Religion You are to Rule not onely over Men but Christians not onely over People but the People of God therefore you are to Rule as in the fear of God so in a more peculiar manner from God and for God that God may Rule by you that you may be the Ministers of God for our good God hath set you as our Hedge and as our Wall whereby he hath enclosed this his Vineyard and all his precious and pleasant things with us he hath set you as a part of the Defence upon the Glory God doth therefore expect that you should fully Assert and Exert all that Power which he hath committed to you to be improved for the publick Weal of his people especially in and about matters of Religion which is the greatest concernment of our publick Weal Courage and Faithfulness therein is the peculiar Excellency of a Christian Magistracy the regular exercise thereof will be the Strength and Glory of your Government and the Stability and Prosperity of this people under it It is your Concernment to uphold this Government in the full and whole interest and influence of it unto all the Ends of it especially this great and main End of it the Preservation and Propogation of Religion It will be your Commendation which was holy Davids as he was eminently a Type of Christ in the Work of Reformation that the Zeal of Gods house had consumed him The hearts of the sober faithful peaceable and religious people of the Land are towards the Governours

said to their Souls Bow down that we may go over and vvhose present great Interest vvas to carry on Temple work vvhen arrived at the full enjoyment of Peace and Liberty and in many other respects circumstanced as vve are this day soon forgat their main and true Interest being under the powerful and prevailing influence of a Worldly degenerating Spirit and yet they said Wherein shall we return How many vvith us are with the same Spirit making the same enquiry The Reverend Author of this Sermon law it less needful to insist on the Answer to that or to speak much by vvay of Conviction because that vvould have been Actum agere since God did help that Worthy Servant of his vvho Preached the Election-Sermon but the year immediately preceding faithfully fully and convincingly to inlarge on that Argument Moreover though some deny it it is a generall Concession amongst us that vve are in a declining Apostatizing state and therefore that Reformation is necessary Our sins testifie against us and as for our iniquities vve know them And yet vvhen it cometh to particulars vve shall finde those calling that Apostacy and Defection vvhich the Lord Jesus I doubt not will own for Truth and laudable Constancy another day and consequently vvould have that put in practise for Reformation which Christ vvill never own Brownism Libertinism or undue straitning and confining the grace of that Covenant vvhich God hath made vvith our Fathers is far from being the Interest of N. E and most of all from being the Interest of Massachusets Colony Were our now glorified Fathers Winthrope Dudley Cotton Hooker vvith the rest of those blessed Worthies vvho vvere the Instruments under God of laying the Foundation both of our Civil and Ecclesiastical State here amongst us they would say so Let their Manuscripts and printed Books which they have left behind them to succeeding generations come in for Witnesses and witness the Platform of Discipline agreed on by the Elders and Messengers of all the Churches in this Colony yea of all these United Colonies Well did our blessed Mitchell also give in his Testimony when speaking in the Name of the Lord upon the like solemn Occasion as this Sermon was Preached on Do not said he wrong and marre an excellent work and Profession by mixing and weaving in spurious Principles and Practices as those of Separation Anabaptism Morellian Anarchical Confusion and licentious Toleration If any would secretly twist in and espouse such things as these and make these part of our Interest we must needs renounce it as none of our Cause no part of the End and Design of the Lords faithful Servants when they followed him into this land which was not sown Separation and Anabaptism are monted Intruders and seeming Friends but secret fatal Enemies to Reformation as Paul in a case not much unlike 1 Cor. 3.10 15. In this work here on foot there was a good Foundation laid viz. Christ as the onely Law-giver in his Church and Reformation designed according to his Will and Apostolical Pattern If you should build the Hay and Stubble of such things as those then verily though sincere persons will be saved and the main of the work may be saved and revived at last yet sooner or later there will come a fire that will burn up this Stubble and then your poor Leaders that would have led you the right way may be remembred when it is too late Do not under pretence of avoiding Corruption run into sinfull Separation from any of the true Churches of God and what is good therein or from the Children of the Covenant Prize and hold fast the Covenant to you and yours Thus that blessed man It doth then concern us to take heed that we do not mistake as to that Apostacy which is and the Anastacy which ought to be amongst us And surely it is a safe and undoubted Principle which runs through that practical and profitable Discourse to the which these lines are prefixed viz. That the great Apostacy of New-England is in respect of the Spirits of men and general decay as to the power of godliness Were there a thorough Reformation in this matter we need not fear any evil but without this no other Reformation will continue the Lords Presence with us The first Design of New-England was purely Religious but now we begin to espouse and are eagerly pursuing another even a Worldly Interest Is not this the grand Procuring Cause of former and present Blastings on the fruits of the earth And is it not for this sin that the Lord is at this day seeming to speak as if the Trade of this poor Country should be ruined These are folemn humbling Providences which God would have us take notice of Verily the Lord smiteth us in that which hath been our Idol i.e. the World that so he may put us in minde of our first and true Interest yea that we may remember whence we are fallen and repent and do the first works Reader The ensuing Sermon needs no Letters Commendatory especially not from so mean a pen as writeth this The Vote passed in that Honoured Assembly to whom it was preached desiring the Author to print what he had preached is Recommendation sufficient The acceptance also which this Sermon when delivered found with all good men though of different perswasions is an evidence that the Preacher was under a special guidance and influence from the Spirit of Christ the wisdome of God It was the Advice of one of the Ancients that in Reading Books we should regard non scientiam sed saporem if we respect either of these the following Discourse commends it self to the Reader for that a judicious and savoury Spirit doth breathe in it and through it no understanding Christian can deny Now the good Lord who was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the first wayes of David his father grant that we may be kept faithful to the first Principles of New-England and that not onely as to our Church state in respect whereof we are engaged to profess and practise the Congregational-way of Church-Government as instituted by Christ and held forth in the Scriptures of Truth but also as to our Civil-state which hath been built upon principles of Righteousness and Sanctity the Laws and people of Christ being especially regarded therein that so Holiness unto the Lord may be upon us in all respects Then may we expect the continuance both of our Civil and Sacred liberties That it may be so is the earnest prayer of him who hath great reason to esteem himself Boston N. E. 26. 5. 1674. Less then the least of all Saints Increase Mather AN Exhortation unto Reformation REV. 2.5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen and repent and do the first works GOD who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past to the fathers by the Prophets hath in these last dayes spoken unto us by his Son This Book wherein we finde our Text it

must also improve and exercise our Liberty in way of Love Peace Union and Communion unto mutual edification and comfort By love serving one another Gal. 5.3 O this is the onely sweet and comfortable life of Christian Liberty It is a very sinful shameful abuse of Christian Liberty to make it an occasion to the flesh to make it subservient to Libertinism to Licentiousness to carnal Reason and Policy to worldly Designs and Ends to the lusts of the flesh the lusts of men in fomenting Divisions Contentions and of making it a cloak of maliciousness 1 Pet. 2.16 Surely it is a great part of our work of Reformation to Reform these Abuses of our Christian Liberty VVe are People highly Priviledged with Christian Liberty and advantaged to the exercise of it O that we better understood it and improved it Let us alwayes remember to keep our Liberty wholly subservient unto our Religion and not set up Liberty above Religion if so we shall lose both our Religion and our Liberty together 6 Labour unto the promotion and progress of the work of Reformation by recovery of your first Love Peace and Vnion O the loss of our first Love Peace and Union hath hitherto been an irreparable loss an incurable wound concerning which we may take up our Lamentation and say Jer. 8.20 21 22. The harvest is past the summer is ended and we are not healed for the hurt of my people I am hurt I am black astonishment hath taken hold upon me Is there no Balm in Gilead is there no Physician there why then is not the hurt of the daughter of my people recovered O are our Divisions become judicial and so incurable If so our state is truly lamentable as Jer. 16.5 Thus saith the Lord Enter not into the house of mourning neither go to lament nor bemoan them for I have taken away my peace from this people saith the Lord even loving kindness and mercies If it should be so well might the hearts and hopes of all our faithful Leaders fail whose labours have hither unto much failed Surely then the recovery of our first Love Peace and Union is a chief part of the work of Reformation and will be found a very hard and difficult part of the work In order hereunto 1. We must remember from whence we are fallen O let the remembrance of the sweetness and blessedness of our first Love Peace and Union convince and humble us under the sin of our Envyings Strifes Debates Divisions Contentions and Emulations c. It was the sad state of the Church of Corinth that although they were lamentably distressed and distracted with Divisions yet they were not sensible of the sin of them but were puffed up and did glory one against another O that it were nothing so with us truly so long as it is so there will be no hope of healing O that we were convinced of the sin of our Division and the multitude of sins that are begotten by it that we might mourn penitentially and bemoan our selves before God with brokenness of heart and earnestly beseech him to pardon and to purge away all that sin and to grant us reforming grace Truly untill we are thus convinced and humbled there will be no Reformation 2. We must labour to recover our first Spirit of Love Peace and Union pray earnestly unto God to pour his Spirit upon us a Spirit of Love to pour out abundance of the grace of Love to create Love Peace and Union for us and to take away the Spirit of Division which we are so deeply corrupted withall 3. We must labour to recover our first New-England Interest that is that Interest upon which this People and these Churches were first founded as to their Religious Constitution which is God and Religion this is the onely uniting Interest our very hearts and Souls will cleave and unite most intirely in Love with Peace and Union in our God and our Religion this Interest will make a people of one heart and of one Soul Jer. 32.39 They shall be my people and I will be their God and I will give them one heart and one way to fear me Observe when a people do cleave close to God and his Covenant and so unto Religion they have one heart and one way that is sweet and perfect Unity and Amity O this is our great mischief and misery and the very original of our defection that we have much forsaken our proper New-England Interest we have committed these two great evils Jer. 2.13 Forsaken our God and hewn out Cisterns We have been changing of our main Fundamental Interest we have been deserting our own Religious Interest espousing another viz. a Worldly Interest we are turning from God after the World the World is becoming the main Interest of N. E. and we are becoming a worldly people a people of a worldly Spirit Principles Practises I do not mean onely nor so much in seeking and prosecuting the things of the World although that be enough to denominate us notoriously Worldly but our turning our very Religion it self into a Worldly Interest by making of it the subject of Carnal Confidences resting trusting and boasting in it and also by making of it the subject of Carnal Contentions and so setting Religion against it self and the Professors of it one against another and so making of it subservient unto worldly designs yea unto worldly lusts and thereby making it in our Profession and Practise of it a meer Worldly Religion yea too many do too much make their professed Confidence in God himself a worldly Interest subservient to their worldly lusts as they Mic. 3.11 Yet will they lean upon the Lord and say Is not the Lord in the midst of us none evil can come unto us When a worldly Spirit worldly Principles worldly Wisdome and Counsels do sway and preponderate in all matters both Civil and Religious then a people are fully and throughly setled upon a Worldly Interest and are truly become a Worldly people And then comes all kinde of Dissentions Contentions Emulations Strifes Debate c. for the World is alwayes a dividing Interest and all our Divisions are carnal and worldly 1 Cor. 3.3 Jam. 4.3 Whatever pretences of a Religious Zeal the Fomentors of Division may make it is a Worldly Spirit that foments all Divisions and it is utterly impossible that ever a worldly spirited people should unite upon sure grounds of Union or that any people should ever unite at all in a worldly Interest And therefore if we can relinquish our worldly Interest and retrive our own onely true and proper Interest which is our God and Religion set and settle our hearts again upon God and Religion this would heal all our Divisions and reform all As a change of Interest hath been the great Cause of our general defection so a change of Interest again would consummate our Reformation It is the Prescription which God gives unto that Backsliding