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	reap_v	sow_v	14,782	5	11.5940	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A32041	The monster of sinful self-seeking, anatomizd together with a description of the heavenly and blessed selfe-seeking : in a sermon preached at Pauls the 10. of December, 1654 / by Edm. Calamy, B.D. ...	Calamy, Edmund, 1600-1666.	1655 (1655)	Wing C259; ESTC R15527	29,832	44

thou destroyest thy spirituall diseases the more thou ruinatest the Devils faction within thee weakenst the opposition of the Flesh against the Spirit He that loves his sins hates his own soul Pro. 8. 36. Gal. 6. 8. he that soweth sin shall reap hell he that makes provision for the flesh provides fuel for bel fire He that nourisheth the old Adam within him cherisheth that which tainteth and polluteth all his holy duties which indisposeth him to all good and disposeth him to all evill he cherisheth his Souls greatest enemy 1 Pet. 2. 11. he delights in that which was Pauls greatest misery and which made him cry out O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Rom. 7. 24. therefore I may truly say he that is the greatest selfe-denier is the greatest selfe-seeker He that seeks to doe most service to God in his generation that seeks his own glory by seeking Gods glory is a Divine self seeker The reason is because the perfection of every thing consisteth in attaining the end for which it was made As the perfection of meat is to be eaten he that hoards it up and will not eate it destroyes it The end for which God made Man is to serve him to glorifie him here and enjoy him hereafter Therefore the more service we doe to God the more we seek his glory the more we attaine the end of our creation and therein we are the more happy He that loves himselfe for himselfe and for his owne ends destroyes himselfe because the end for which God made us is to serve him and not our selves When all the streames of selfe-love flow into the great Ocean of the love of God this is Divine selfe-love Oh that men would thus labour to love themselves and seek themselves to look upon themselves as servants and instruments unto God and his glory to say Lord how may I advance my selfe by advancing thy name how may I glorifie my selfe by glorifying of thee How may I seeke my selfe by seeking thy praise and perfect my selfe by disposing of my selfe of my understanding memory will heart affections and actions in order to thee and thy glory The more a man serves God out of pure love without reflection to selfe the more he seeks himselfe for this is a certaine truth The lesse we seek our selves and our owne ends in any holy duty the more we seek our selves because the lesse we seek our selves the more we seek God and his glory and the more we seek God his glory the more reward we shall have The lesse we look after reward for that we doe the more reward we shall have and therefore the Papists who teach men to doe good works that thereby they might merit heaven supposing their Doctrine to be true lose all the reward of their good worke He that serves God to merit by his service cannot merit by his service the more he eyes merit the lesse he meriteth He that serves God for his owne ends doth not serve God but himselfe but he that serves God for Gods sake shall be rewarded by God The lesse we eye our selves in any duty the more reward we shall have and therefore the more we seek our selves That man who seeks the glory and honour of God above his owne glory and honour is a Divine selfe seeker The reason is because the happinesse of Man is more in God than in himselfe As the happinesse of a member of the body is in conjunction with the body take it from the body it dieth So the happinesse of Man is in conjunction with God who is our chiefest good who is an universall good therefore he that seeks union with God most seeks himselfe most As the safety of the beame is more in the Sun then in it selfe and of the streame in the Fountaine then in it selfe So the safety comfort and happinesse of every Christian is more in God then in himself therefore he that seeks the glory and honour of God more than his owne glory and honour is a heavenly and blessed selfe-seeker He that loves the publique good more than his owne private good that seeks the prosperity of Sion and Jerusalem of Church and State more than his owne is a Divine selfe-seeker Oh that this word were mingled with Faith A man that is in danger to have his head cut off will willingly even out of selfe-love lift up his arme and suffer it to be cut off to save his head because his life is more in his head than in his arme Our safety is more wrapt up in the publique welfare than in our private and therefore they who preferre the publique before the private are the truest selfe-seekers Thus did Old Ely he mourned more for the losse of the Ark● than of his two Sons Thus also did David Psa 137. 6. He preferred Jerusalem above his chiefe joy In a storme at Sea he that seeks the preservation of the Ship seeks most the preservation of his own Trunk for if the Ship be drowned his Trunk cannot be saved The truth is if the Church and the true Religion be destroyed to what purpose is it for a godly man to live I read of Titus Vespasian that when the Souldiers had destroyed the Temple of Jerusalem they came to him and asked him what they should doe with the Priests that did supervive Kill them said he for now their worke is at an end When Religion is destroyed what will it advantage a godly man to live therefore they that seek the good of the Church more than their owne are blessed selfe-seekers That man who had rather lose wife children estate and life it selfe than sinne against God is a Divine selfe-seeker The reason is because his happinesse is more in keeping a good Conscience than in keeping his Estate or saving his Life The holy Martyrs who loved not their lives unto the death were the greatest selfe seekers It is a most blessed selfe-seeking to suffer the fire of Martyrdome to avoid the fire of Hell to lose earthly promotions to attain everlasting honours And therefore Christ argueth from selfe-love Mat. 16. 25. Whosoever will save his life shall lose it and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall finde it so also Mark 10. 29 30. the antient Martyrs did the like Heb. 10. 34. Heb. 11. 35. He that loseth all for Christ shall finde more than he hath lost in Christ From all that I have said concerning this blessed selfe-seeking I gather these three conclusions 1. That no Man is a true selfe seeker who is not a true Christ-seeker 2. That true Religion and a consciencious walking according to the rules of it is founded upon Right reason and that no man can be truely said to be a rationall man who is not a Religious man for the more Religious any man is the more he seeks himselfe and his owne happinesse the more irreligious he is the