Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	flesh_n	law_n	mind_n	7,026	5	6.6163	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A56407	The redeemer's friend, or, A sermon on John II, part of the 11th verse ... preached at the funeral of ... Mr. Samuel Fairclough, who departed this life, December 31, 1691 by Nath. Parkhurst ...	Parkhurst, Nathaniel, 1643-1707.	1692 (1692)	Wing P490; ESTC R479	10,970	32

be that find it If we substract the Numbers of the Ignorant Prophane Worldly-minded and Formal the Remainder is comparatively small And thus it hath been in all former Ages Evermore the Number of the Faithful hath been little compared with the Ungodly In the Days of Noah all Flesh had corrupted their Way Very few in the World had then any serious regard to God He only and his Family escaped the Deluge In David's time Psal 13.3 all i. e. the most were gone aside Psal 13.3 In the times of Elias seven thousand only in Israel kept themselves from the Pollution of Idolatry Rom. 11.4 In the times of Jeremiah the common People were generally poor and foolish and knew not the Way of the Lord and the Great Men had broken the Yoak and burst the Bonds in sunder In our blessed Saviour's time upon Earth the Magistrates and Ministers of the Jewish Church and the People were generally corrupt and wicked In the Apostles time notwithstanding the great Success of the Gospel yet the Faithful remain'd in comparison few so that there were not Friends enough to preserve the Apostles from violent Death And this Age surely is not much better than the former Ages of Christianity or those under the Mosaical Dispensation The Number of good Men is still small I should be glad to find an Error in the Computation but am much afraid it is too true that neither in our own or any other Reformed Church can be shewed a Community of the quantity of a Village wherein the Majority are sincere in the Profession of Christianity Wherefore to use the solemn Words of the great Apostle Eph. 4.17 I say and testify in the Lord Ephes 4.17 that they are in a perishing Condition in Paths leading to the Chambers of everlasting Death who follow the Generality of this present Generation 2. Sincere Christians are in the Family of the World generally of the younger House inferiour in worldly Respects Not many wise Men after the Flesh not many mighty 1 Cor. 1.26 not many noble are called 1 Cor. 1.26 Some Princes some Nobles some Persons of Quality some Men of Parts and Learning are among the effectually called But the Instances are rave And this was mystically represented in the Advancement of Judah Ephraim David and Solomon who were all younger Brothers in their several Families Commonly Men great in Place and Power in Wealth and Honour in Wit and Parts take the wrong Way despise Religion and neglect Godliness Thus it was in our Saviour's time the Jewish Sanhedrim and almost all Persons of Name and Authority in that Church opposed the believing Jesus was the Christ And accordingly it was laid as an Objection against receiving him and his Doctrine that the Men of Reputation did not acknowledg him John 7.48 Have any of the Rulers or of the Pharisees believed in him John 7.48 3. Sincere Christians as they are few and commonly inferiour in the World so likewise they are a scattered and dispersed Generation not in a Body together but as it were one of a City and two of a Tribe mix'd with others till Death makes the Separation As our Lord in respect of the kind of his Death was numbred with Transgressors so in all Civil Respects these are mix'd with the Wicked as Subjects of the same Prince Natives of the same Country Dwellers in the same City Members of the same Family and it may be sitting at the same Table The Divine Wisdom permits them not to be separated in this Life The Tares must grow with the Wheat till the consummation of all Things 4. Sincere Christians tho thus mixed with the Ungodly are yet very differing from them They have another Father another Birth another Country another Spirit another Practice and live another Life They are born of God Citizens of Heaven refined in their Spirits holy in Practice and live a Life of Faith They are in the World but are not of it having their Conversation in Heaven They have differing Employments Affairs that other Men neglect other Joys and Sorrows Complaints and Fears and Hopes than the Men of the World have and Meat to eat the World knows not of They are new Creatures very differing from the Men of this World and from what themselves once were 5. To proceed to their distinctive Character Sincere Christians are Persons of some considerable knowledg of God Christ and the Holy Spirit of the Fall of Man and the depravation of Humane Nature of the Covenant of Grace of God in Christ as a Sacrifice and Mediator reconciling Sinners to himself of the Doctrines Precepts Promises and Threatnings in the Scriptures They are also Penitents weary and heavy-laden under the Burden of their Sins sick of their Offences and Transgressions of the Divine Laws poor and contrite in Spirit And they live by Faith in Christ with entire dependance upon him as a Prophet Priest and King as a Propitiation for Sin and as an Advocate with the Father And they give themselves to Prayer pouring out not only Words but their Hearts to God And in the assistance of the Spirit of God they live soberly righteously and godly crucifying the Flesh striving against Sin resisting Temptations delighting in the Law of God after the inner Man opposing the Law in their Members that rebels against the Law of their Mind endeavouring to have respect to all God's Commands and that none of them may be grievous studying to walk worthy of God unto all pleasing and to adorn the Doctrine of God their Saviour in all things and humbling themselves for their Infirmities and coming short of any Duty Secondly I shall shew what are the Tokens and Instances of the Redeemer's Friendship toward sincere Christians And 1. He converses with them meets them in sacred Ordinances and where-ever two or three are gathered together in his Name he is in the midst of them and in secret Places in Prayer and Meditation manifests himself to them encouraging strengthening them and sometimes assuring them of his Love And hereby he accomplishes that Promise in Revel 3.20 If any Man hear my Voice Revel 3.20 and open the Door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me 2. Christ doth great things for them He washes them from their Sins in his own Blood clothes them with the Robes of his unspotted Righteousness appears in the Presence of God for them carries their Names upon his Breast in the true Holy of Holies justifies their Persons presents their Prayers to his and their Father perfumes all their weak Services and imperfect Offerings by his prevailing perpetual Intercession and so makes them grateful to God and a sweet-smelling Savour 3. Christ invests them with glorious Priviledges John 1.12 he gives them Power to become the Children of God Revel 1.6 makes them Kings and Priests to God and his Father renders all things subservient to them even the holy Angels who are

ministring Spirits sent forth for the Good of them that are Heirs of Salvation Heb. 1.14 And he makes all things to work together for their Good Rom. 8. for their Afflictions refine them and work in them the peaceable Fruits of Righteousness Their Temptations exercise prove and strengthen their Graces their Infirmities lead them to much Humility and dependance upon God their Falls and Miscarriages being recover'd by Repentance make them more diligent and watchful 4. Christ will in the end bring them near to himself John 17.24 that they may be with him John 17.24 and will advance them whatever that means to a sitting with him in his Throne Revel 3.21 Rev. 3.21 He will render them in a manner equal with the Angels and like them they shall live the Life of Spirits neither eating nor drinking nor building nor planting nor marrying or being given in Marriage And they shall live and reign for ever with him in Heaven and eat of the Tree in the midst of the Paradise of God yielding most delightful intellectual and spiritual Food They shall be as Pillars in the Temple above established in Happiness and Ornaments in that Place of Glory They shall have the Vision of God i. e. the utmost knowledg of him that humane Faculties are capable of in their full Strength They shall have everlasting Joy and drink of Rivers of holy Pleasures at God's Right Hand for evermore The Lamb that is in the midst of the Throne shall lead them to these Fountains of living Waters Revel 7.17 Revel 7.17 These are some Instances of Christ's Friendship toward serious Believers sufficiently demonstrating that they are in reality his Friends II. Observe That sincere Christians are honoured with the Title of Christ's Friends yet are not priviledged from dying How holy soever any are how useful soever how much soever in favour with God and endeared to the Redeemer yet Death comes upon them and lays them asleep The best of Men must die Abraham is dead and the Prophets are dead only Enoch and Elias found another Passage to the heavenly Mansions and the last Generation shall not die but be changed 1 Cor. 15.51 1 Cor. 15.51 All others must die according to the Decree and Appointment of God So that unless the Day of Judgment be nearer than it is reasonable to imagine we must expect to take up our Lodgings in Graves and Tombs tho sanctified tho serving our Generation by the Will of God and how much soever others may need us our Dissolution is coming But this is our Comfort that living in the Lord we shall die in the Lord and Death shall be our Advantage tho we cannot be priviledged from it III. Observe That tho sincere Christians are not exempted from dying yet Death is qualified and softned to them To them it is but a Sleep or but as a Sleep 1. In respect to their Bodies it is a Rest from Pain Sickness Weariness Labour Noise and Disturbance The Grave is their Bed they are quiet in it and never disturbed of that Rest till awakned with the joyful solemn Sound of the last Trump and the Voice of the Arch-Angel 1 Thess 4.16 and the Shout attending our Lord's last Appearing 1 Thess 4.16 2. In respect of their Souls tho Death is not a Sleep as Sleep signifies an unactive Rest yet Death puts the Souls of the Godly into better than a Sleep into a perfect Repose and cessation from all Toil and into a State of most active Love and Joy for Angels come and carry them upon their dislodging from their Bodies into Abraham's Bosom to the Spirits of just Men made perfect into the third Heaven And whereas good Men complain while they are here that they can neither love nor joy in God as they desire Infirmities impeding and straitning the willing Mind there they love God to the utmost of their Duty to the full extent of their Capacity and according to all the desire of their Hearts And in like manner they there joy in God without any Impediment to that ravishing Exercise 3. Death to sincere Christians is but a Sleep in respect of the succeeding Morning of the Resurrection In this respect Death is but a long Sleep as Sleep is a short Death And tho the Death of the Ungodly may also be termed a Sleep yet not in the qualification and softness of its meaning respecting sincere Christians For the Ungodly have no Rest in their Souls upon their Departure but Extremities of Grief and Horror And the Morning of the Resurrection brings them no manner of Comfort but proves most dreadful to them But to sincere Christians Death is as a sweet Sleep out of which they awake joyfully And upon the sounding of the Trumpet their Graves open they throw off the dusty Covering rise up and put on the Dress of Immortality and go forth and meet the Bridegroom and are ever with the Lord. Such are the Instructions from the Text. The Improvement follows in several Uses First Since sincere Christians arc honoured with the Title of the Friends of Christ let us all become sincere Christians let us answer that great holy and glorious Name by which we are called not serving Sin and Satan in the Livery of Christ's Disciples Let us live agreeably to our sacred Name and Profession let us fill up the Title of Christians with the Quality and Temper and Practice becoming them that are so called Let us think speak act pray and live as Christians as such let us be Penitent Holy Humble Charitable Lovers of God and Men Temperate Chaste Mortified and Heavenly-minded Let us cast away all the Works of Darkness and renounce the hidden things of Dishonesty and serve God in Holiness and Righteousness in cleanness of Hands and purity of Heart mortifying the most secret Sins and spiritual Wickednesses of which the World can take no notice But it may be said Who is sufficient for these things we want power to live the holy Life that becomes our Christian Profession My Answer to this is May you be more fully convinced of your Impotency but withal remember God can draw you Christ can strengthen you and the Holy Spirit can influence change and renew you Look up to Heaven pray plead importune God for Supplies of needful Grace and wait for it in the sedulous use of the appointed Means of reading and hearing the Word of Grace and Life and meditating therein It is worthy of the utmost Endeavours and you will not repent of any Labour it can cost you when once you have attained to serious Godliness for the Friendship of Christ attends it and Happiness enough is included in his Love who hath all Power in Heaven and Earth Secondly Since real Christians are the Redeemer's Friends and since the Death of sincere Christians is qualified and only as a Sleep let as many of us as are Christians in Reality and Practice be reconciled to Death and not be uneasy