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	live_v	mortify_v	7,524	5	11.3904	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A58423	Now or never: work out your salvation with fear and trembling; or, A serious exhortation to all poor sinners to lay hold upon Christ Jesus who is the fountain of all happiness, and who is the onely rock from whence doth spring all their comforts. Herein is also laid down several motives declaring the necessity of this work, that it ought not to be put off for to morrow; bnt [sic] that every poor sinner should strive to enter in at the strait gate now, while he hath an opportunity in his hand, lest he be snatcht away by death, and then it will be too late. The third edition, with additions. By B.R.	B. R.	1663 (1663)	Wing R8; ESTC R219714	10,551	27

might be laid down but I must be but short because there are some other things of great concernment to thy poor soul to speak something to before I come to a conclusion And that I may not leave a poor soul in darkness there are some few particulars that I would perswade a Christian to The first is this First Let me beg of thée to live as one that believeth there is a God and that this God is the Creator Lord and Ruler of the whole world Believe that this God is Almighty and that the greatest of men are less than worms in comparison of this great God Believe that God is wise powerful and that he is able to save thée and as he is able so he is willing if thou by a true and lively faith dost lay hold on him O live in the belief of this Secondly Live as one that doth believe mankinde is fallen into sin and misery and that all men are under the condemnation of the Law of God till they are delivered and live as men that consider that there must be a great change wrought in you before you come to die Thirdly Live as men that verily and truly believe that you are redéemed by Iesus Christ who hath suffered for your sins and brought the glad Lydings of Salvation to your poor Souls O believe in this Christ and lay hold on all the precious Promises that are in the Gospel O cast your selves upon him who is the Physician of your poor souls Fourthly Believe that the Holy Ghost is given by Iesus Christ to convert to quicken to satisfie all that he will save and that except you be born of the Spirit you shall never enter into the Kingdom of Heaven and that if any man have not the Spirit of Christ the same is none of his Rom. 8.9 Fifthly Live in this belief that Sin is the greatest evil and that which doth give the greatest offence to the Great and Holy God and that is the evil which the Lord abhorreth Sixthly Believe that this Sin will not be pardoned without repentance and this must be true repentance also which if it be so it will not let thee live in any gross sin Seventhly Live as members of the Church of Christ having communion with his Saints and live as those that believe there is a life everlasting where the sanctified shall live in endless joy and the wicked in everlasting woe Lastly Live as those that believe that this Life is given onely to make preparation for a better All that ever shall be done for your Salvation must be NOW or NEVER Live and believe that the world and the flesh are the deadly enemies of your Salvation If you live after the flesh ye shall die after it but if by the Spirit ye mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live Romans 8.13 Christians let me tell you that in all undertakings your onely aim should be the glory of God and you ought to do every thing with an obediential fear knowing that there is none in Heaven nor upon the earth can save your souls but the great God of Heaven and earth To this Obedience let me perswade you in a few particulars First The work of God must be done with fear and reverence God will be sanctified of all that draw near him God will be served as God and not as man God will not be prayed to with a regardless minde It is a dreadful thing for poor dust and ashes to speak to such a great God but it is a dangerous thing to speak slightly and irreverently of him It concerns every believing Soul to have more of the fear of God upon his heart than the common people of the world have for they that have tasted that the Lord is gracious have a great cause to have a reverential fear of his name Secondly It is requisite that you be very serious and sober in all your services you perform to God Be fervent and serious in séeking of God and your own salvation Thirdly Let your service to the Lord be performed with an understanding heart God delights not in the blinde devotion of men that know not what they do Prayers not understood are not prayers for no mans destres goeth beyond his knowledge and he expresseth nor his destres that knoweth not what he expresseth If understanding be necessary in our common discourse much more in our Addresses to the Most High A man of understanding is of an excel ent spirit but God hath no pleasure in fools Prov. 37.27 Fourthly God is a Spirit and he must be worshipped in spirit and in truth Iohn 4.24 The Father seeketh such to worship him God calleth for the heart he looketh upon the inward destres of the soul if that be right all will be well Fifthly The body hath its part in the service of God as well as the soul the body must express the inward reverence and devotion of the soul there ought to be a very decent behavior in every childe of God at all times but especially when he is about any work that concerns his souls health Sixthly God will be served with purity and foliness God a●● rreth the sacrifices of the wicked and disobedient those that serve him must have undefiled garments they must put on the white Robe of Christs Righteousness Seventhly God will be served universally and entirely in all his commands and with all your faculties your work of piety justice and charity must never be separated God will be served with love and delight O dear Christians consider what a glorious priviledge the Saints have who live always in the joys of the Lordland truly a Believer hath great cause of Ioy and the chief cause of his Ioy is that his sins are pardoned that God is reconciled to him in Christ Iesus he hath the promises of God that all things shall work together for his good even his greatest sufferings He is always in the care of a tender Father and he hath leave to draw néer unto him and open his heart to him in prayer even in the greatest straits and wants that can come to him Having thus in a brief and short discourse laid down in some particulars the duty of every poor soul that would have an interest in Christ Iesus I would it were the Lords good pleasure that I could perswade any poor soul to be desirous and diligent in attaining to that happiness which is to lay hold upon Iesus Christ and to relye onely upon him Cast thy self and all that is thine upon the shoulders of him who is able to hear thee and he is willing to bring thee through all difficulty if so be thou art willing to leave thy sins and repent thee of all thine iniquities If any man have an ear to hear let him hear O dear Christians consider these words now is the time that you are called upon now while you have opportunities now hear the Word preached by the faithful Ministers of the

an offer as this and if any cries would procure it from their righteous Iudge O what a change would there be among them how importunately would they cry to God O send us once again upon the earth once more let us sée the face of Mercy and hear the tenders of Christ and Salvation once more let the Ministers of the Gospel of Iesus Christ afford us their help and teach in season and out of season once more let us have the help and company of thy Saints and we will scorn them abuse them and persecute them no more that we might once more be admitted into the holy assemblies and have the Lords days to spend in the business of cur Salvation It makes my heart even tremble to think how those poor damned souls would strive with God to try them once again if they had but the least encouragements of hope but it cannot be it will not be they had their day they cannot lose their time and have it they had faithful Guides and would not follow them long did Christ wait with the patient tenders of his blood and spirit his grace was offered but it would not be accepted Such mouths must be stopt for ever with a Remember thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things Luke 16.25 If ever you will repent and believe it must be NOW or NEVER If ever you will be unconverted and sanctified it must be NOW or NEVER If ever you will be pardoned and reconciled to God it must be now O that you were wise and that you understood this and that you would consider your latter end Deut. 32.29 O let me intreat you to let the words of our blessed Redéemer sink into your hearts Luke 19.41 42. If thou hadst known even thou in this thy day the things that do belong unto thy peace But now they are hidden from thine eyes Thirdly As there is no return after this life to live upon the earth so there will be no doing this work hereafter heaven is for a more glorious work and hell will be for most horrible punishments it is now that you must sow and hereafter that you must reap it is now that you must work and then that you must receive your wages O therefore poor soul where ever thou dost abide let me perswade thée to be up and be doing be not like the children of Israel who murmured and repined at the providences of God because they did not inherit the Land of Promise presently but do thou patiently wait Gods time and be thou never idle but still setting forward to the heavenly Canaan that so thou marst be ready when God shall please to call thée to the inheritance thereof Let me lay before you your duties by way of Motives in some few particulars To begin with the lowest of all Then First In the works of your bodily calling you must use diligence In the sweat of your brows you must eat your bread Genesis 3.19 Six days shalt thou labour and do all that thou hast to do Exodus 209. Success is Gods ordinary reward of temporal diligence and diseases poverty and shame are the usual punishments of sloath Secondly Are you parents or governors of families you have work to do for God and for the souls of them that God hath intrusted you with Be diligent in Family-duties remember that you and your familles are going to the grave where you have heard there is no working therefore what you do must be NOW or NEVER to day while it is called to day put not off any work which will forward you to heaven Thirdly Have you ignorant or ungodly neighbours whose misery calls for your compassion speak to them and keep them with all diligence lose not any opportunity of doing good while you are alive to do what thou canst to keep thy ignorant neighbor from eternal death for when thou art in the grave thou canst do no good up therefore and be doing with all your might Fourthly Hath the Lord lent you riches in this world he doth expect then that thou shouldest relieve those that are in want especially do good to those who are of the houshold of faith Cast thy bread upon the waters for thou shalt find it after many days Do good before thy heart be hardened thy riches blasted and consumed thy opportunities taken away part with it before it part with thée Fifthly Hath God intrusted you with power O then séek to promote the Glory of God relieve the oppressed right the widow and the fatherless cherish them that do well be a terror to them that do evil Let those that work the work of the Lord be with you without fear 1 Cor. 16.10 Sixthly To come a little nearer to you yet 〈◊〉 any of you yet in the state of nature born onely of the flesh and not of the spirit make cut to Christ cry mightily to him for his renewing and pardoning Grace for there is no conversion or repentance unto life in the grave whither thou goest if ever thou wilt be saved thou must do it NOW or NEVER Seventhly Hast thou any predominant sin that over-ruleth thee or woundeth thee or keepeth thee off from being acquainted with God Strive to resist those things abhor them in thy very thoughts hate the doors of the Harlot or the Ale-house where thou formerly hast committed many griev us sins Eighthly Art thou in a declining condition hast thou lost thy first desires and love O then up and be doing thy first works and remember from whence thou art fallen cry cut with Job Job 29.2 3 4 5. O that I were as in moneths past as in the days when God preserved me when his Candle shined upon my head and when by his light I walked through darkness As I was in the days of my youth when the secret of God was on my tabernacle when the Almighty was yet with me Ninethly Art thou in ignorance concerning thy converted estate dost thou not know whether thou art in a state of life or death Be thou careful then and use the means that God hath appointed thée for assurance search the Scriptures for in them are the words of Eternal Life Examine your selves whether you be in the Faith prove your selves Know ye not your own selves that Christ is in you except ye be reprobates 2 Cor. 13.5 Lastly In all the duties of thy Calling whether Civil or Religious séek to inflame thy Soul with the love of God admire his Mercies O taste and sée that the Lord is gracious let his fear command thy soul and trust in him alone cast all thy care and thy self upon him When thou art reading of the Word have an obediential fear and love to it and let it be swéeter to thée than the H●ney●com● resolve to do what thou therein findest to be the will of God Thus have I shewed thée O poor soul in some measure what is thy duty to do but these are but short hints of what