Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	find_v	heart_n	soul_n	5,461	5	4.7760	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A59274	A sermon preached in a congregation in the city of Exon on the thanks-giving day, Thursday, April 16, 1696 / by a minister of the Gospel.	Minister of the Gospel.	1696 (1696)	Wing S2638; ESTC R35167	18,147	32

their bodies into the places of worship and put them in a posture of reverence whilst their affections perhaps shall be committing folly with some darling Idol erected in the fancy But in vain do such worshippers presume upon accepta nce An all-seeing eye easily discerns the fallacie and a God of truth abominates it When the Soul the choicest part of man as Ingaged in his worship is actively imployed in his service then does he smell a sweet savour in it Pro. 23.26 My Son give me thy heart In all the Solemn and Sacred duties which men do perform in all the Devotions they present to their God he demands their hearts and affections without which all the most glittering shews and gaudy pretences imaginable will amount to no more than a specious vanity Lactantius de justit Lib. 5. Cap. 20. speaking of the excellency of the Christian Religion as unconceivably surmounting that of the Heathen says Illic nihil exigitur aliud quam sanguis pecudum fumus inepta libatio hic bona mens purum pectus innocens vita Go amongst the Heathens and there is nothing but the blood of beasts a little vanishing smoke and ridiculous Sacrificing but with us there is a good mind a pure heart and an innocent life The Christians presented God not with slain beasts but with pure hearts And says the same Author just before Nostra Religio tota in animo colentis est quia mentem ipsam pro Sacrificio habet Our Religion lies in the mind of the worshipper and we offer up our Souls to God for a Sacrifice But too too many Christians of latter ages have strangely degenerated from the primitive practice and have sat down satisfied with a few external and lazy devotions Amongst the Papists it must be confessed they have a very pompous theatrical worship but there is little of Soul or Spirit in it Many amongst those of the Reformed Churches are too prone to please themselves with some externals of worship and splendid formalties But alas the most accurate external observances will ne're attract the favourable eye of God when there is an absence of the heart All acceptable worship must arise from the Center of the Soul for God is a Spirit John 4.24 and nothing will please him but a spiritual worship Well then the affections must animate all our devotions and the whole heart must be found an ingredient in all our services All the powers all the faculties of the Soul must be seriously imployed in every part of worship we at any time engage in not only the understanding to apprehend the nature of the duties they are to perform but the will and affections must be active too Every faculty ought to be vigorous and wakeful when persons are making their Religious addresses to the glorious King no power should be dull or sleepy As for instance in the duty of Prayer the whole Soul ought to be engaged in it The understanding should be imployed in the consideration of God's glorious perfections of our unworthiness to appear before him of the many wants we labour under and of Gods both ability readiness to supply all our necessities The will ought to be engaged in purposing the renuntiation of the sins which we own in confession and in resolving a discharge of the duties which we beg the grace to perform Our affections should all be shining and active when we view over the glorious perfections of the Deity such as Almightiness Immensity Infinite knowledge Justice and holiness we should call up the passion of fear see to have our minds possessed with a Reverential awe at the thoughts of so termendous a Majesty When we recount his Grace and his Mercy his Goodness and his Bounty our Souls should be enflamed with love Our hatred should rise against sin when we acknowledge it with its heightning circumstances and our desires should be carried out with a great deal of warmth after grace and glory Thus when the powers of the Soul have each their respective activities in duty then is God served with all the heart 3. The third particular I proposed to speak to is the Motive imployed to inforce the duty prescribed The consideration of the great things which God has done for a people should be a powerful argument with them to induce them to serve the Lord in truth and with all the heart The Command of God does oblige and should engage persons to serve and adore him with sincerity zeal and affection But God's mercy his goodness his bounty should be an additional perswasive When God with gracious and merciful providences attends a people it is but equitable they should return him A tribute of thanks and adoration Signal favours and seasonable deliverances strongly plead with them to present him with their best and their choicest services Such returns as these should persons make 1. Upon the account of Graditude Men ought to make thankful returns to their glorious preserver and their bountiful benefactor for all the miracles of mercy he has shewed them When the arm of the Lord has brought them Salvation they should express their thankful sense of it by devout adorations a loyal observance of all his injunctions The Israelites had an ample experience of the indulgent care of Heaven towards them God in his wise and powerful providence often appeared so signally for them as that it was to the astonishment of their enemies and their own admiration What an amazing what a surprizing deliverance did he gloriously accomplish for them at the Red-Sea In what a miraculous way did he support and sustain them during their long peregrination in the Wilderness In how wonderful a manner did he introduce them into the promised Land and settle them there what astonishing victories did he often give them over their enemies when as the number of the Israelites was but small and the armies of the Aliens like to the sand of the Sea innumerable God made them formidable to all the nations about them Crowned them with admirable successes and made them glorious by an unusual train of providences He stopt the course of the Sun in the Heavens to make the longer day that they might have time enough to compleat the conquest of their Enemies Many times when the confidence of their foes was advanced when they threatned high and the Israelites were involved in apparent danger had no prospect of an escape then in their extremity has God brought them Salvation Now certainly ingenuity and gratitude should promote such a people so blessed so wonderfully preserved so signally owned by God to fear and serve him in truth and with all the heart Gratitude obliged them to a most punctual observance of all his Commands to a most cordial and sincere performance of all the duties he had prescribed them If God in an illustrious manner saves a people from ruine if he favours them with peculiar priveledges and advances them above their Neighbours by his