Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	ghost_n	holy_a	jesus_n	15,155	5	6.0417	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A77703	Repentance and prayer or, the two fundamental pillars of the nation. Being the substance of four sermons preached at St. Peters Poor, London. By that famous and reverend divine Ralph Brownrigge, formerly vice-chancelour of Cambridge, and lately Lord Bishop of Exeter.	Brownrig, Ralph, 1592-1659.	1660 (1660)	Wing B5208; ESTC R229484	54,943	157

heavenly father and is able our heavenly father and therefore ingaged by these three a Child of God hath assurance of hope and strong Consolation Now the gift intended here is the holy Spirit Matth. 7. it 's said Your heavenly Father gives every good thing I but most sweetly are our prayers Confin'd here to the begging of Gods Spirit whatsoever a Child of God asks it should be things of necessity superfluity that 's not for Children to ask nor a wise father will give it the Spirit of God is necessary bread is not so necessary for life as grace for salvation all necessaries for life and all superfluities are not so much as this absolute necessity of having the Spirit it 's not necessary I should live but it 's necessary I should be sanctified and saved Secondly a Child should ask that which is useful and profitable and of all other gifts the gift of the holy Ghost is most useful it is a gift of the highest nature First it 's the richest that God can bestow one dram of grace one blessed suggestion from the Spirit of truth one blessed motion darted into the heart by the holy Ghost is more worth than all the world All things in this world may be called good but makes them not good that have them St. Austin saith Riches are good if a man have grace to use them so he may do good with them but grace makes good there 's no man can put virtue to an evil imployment grace is alwayes the ●ountain of good it 's the foundation the pledge the assurance it gives all other blessings Solomon when he ask'd the spirit of wisdom God could not deny him any thing riches honours every thing Thirdly if a Child should ask of a father a sign of his love the greatest manifestation of a fathers love the surest sign and richest evidence of Gods love is the gift of the spirit the love of God when it is shed abroad in the heart by the holy Ghost we feel the taste of it rejoyce in the comfort of it it 's a seal of Gods love as St. Bernard saith a dram of Gods grace is a certain token of a determined Election of the assurance of glorification he that asks Gods Spirit loves God and God love him such prayers as these alwayes prevail forgive us our sins encrease our repentance sanctifie our souls purge our consciences subdue our corruptions overcome our temptations Lord what prayers should prevail with thee if such prayers as these prevail not other prayers may hit or miss but prayers for Gods Spirit never returns empty Now for the third the parties those that ask how can we pray for the spirit without the spirit none can say Jesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost it was the the Pelagian errour to say that our prayers must prevent Gods grace the Spirit of God is not the fruit of our prayers but our prayers the fruit of Gods Spirit our desires are wrought by Gods Spirit answers our desires in this case how sweetly St. Austin saith indeed his first grace his preventing grace fore-runs all our prayers I am found of them that sought me not but his Concomitant grace that may be the fruit of our prayers yet all supplies of grace are of Gods Spirit St. Bernard saith it 's the surest sign of grace if we desire grace prayer it 's the breathing of Gods Spirit and there must first be a drawing in of Gods grace before there can be ascending out Matth. 44. there the grace of Gods Spirit the Kingdom of heaven is compared to a treasure found in the field not look'd for there 's preventing grace the touch of the spirit that works upon the heart in the first prevention vers 45. The Kingdom of heaven is likened unto a Merchant that sought pearls and found them here 's first the grace of prevention a treasure found in a field not thought on as St. Austin saith faith is given first as the prime grace then the prayer of faith that is the breath it 's prayer that obtaines supplies of grace the matter of our prayer must be for the supplies of grace prayer encreaseth new supplies Secondly prayer may obtain the sealing up of our adoption the kiss of peace and love that seals up assurance of pardon for sins Thirdly besides the first stock of grace look for assisting grace we can not make good use of grace without the help of grace Fourthly prayer will obtain the spirit of strength and fortitude to encounter against temptation ask thy father this and he will grant it Lastly prayer obtains the spirit of perseverance without the which all holy motions and inspirations are like a wind that passeth away and cometh not again Now I come to the Illation drawn from the argument how much more 't is a proportion with advantage indeed it had been well if the Argument had gon and the Conclusion drawn with some abatement one spark of mercy to so unworthy Children the place of a servant nay the bread of a servant had been too good for so unworthy Children Secondly if the argument had held but so much as in Psal 100. Like as a father pitieth his own children or like pity the Lord teacheth to those that fear him David takes comfort in this but this Scripture offers more grace how much more why here 's full measure shaken pressed down it runs over The third expression in this proportion is if earthly Parents have such provident Care for their Childrens welfare how much more in God though earthly parents be never so wise and provident for their Children yet they may be mistaken or wish things unfit and to the hurt of their Children as old Isaac was mistaken in his blessing the mother of Zebedees Children asked she knew not what but the all-wise God hears all our desires and orders all things graciously for our welfare Secondly Ye men that boast of your power if ye are parents and have any portion to bestow upon your Children how much more God your heavenly father all that earthly fathers enjoy is but borrowed the oyl in the Cruze may fail the oyl in the barrell may be spent all ye have is but borrowed c. Thirdly if ye that are parents have tenderness of affection towards your Children how much more your heavenly father God is full of bounty and mercy ye are evil and evil natured God gives liberally and upbraids not to compare with him the goodness of men is not so much as one dust of sand to the glory of the whole earth like a spark to the whole element of fire Parents what do they give to their Children trifles God gives the best things his Spirit his own flesh God fils the world with his goodness Fourthly men are but Stepfathers of the flesh in respect of God he 's father both of soul and body Ezek. 23. he chargeth c. wordly fathers thou hast taken c. God is our being and the preserver of our being Abraham knows us not Jacob hath forgotten us And Christ said Call no man father upon earth as to compare with God Lastly as the nearest father so the dearest affection the affection of the father or mother are cold and dead in regard of the ardent affection of God towards us Parents they first beget Children and then love them God loves first and then begets us to himself a flowing of nature is parents love but an eternal love is Gods love we had a being in him before we had any in our selves he that planteth the ear shall not be hear and he that planteth the tenderness of Parents to Children shall not he have Compassion nay how full must he needs be of Compassion To shut up all the height and improvement of affection in God must require reciprocation on our parts and it 's set on a three fold proportion First if ye that are Children cast care upon your Parents Be not careful what ye eat or drink or what ye put on for your heavenly Father careth for you The proportion of obedience is the second If reverence be due to the Parents of the flesh how much more to the parents of the spirit how much more reverence and obedience to your heavenly Father The third is the proportion of love If ye give love to earthly fathers how much more to your heavenly Father So you see the sum of the Text is Ye that are evil can give good gifts to your Children how much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him FINIS LEst Obliquie or Malice should assperse the Candor and Integrity of these four Sermons I was desired by the Seller of them to read and censure them Having seriously perused them I find the true Pourtraicture of the late deceas'd yet never to be forgotten most reverend Bishop Brownrigge My censure can extend no farther than the Printers Errors The principal one whereof I find to be in the first Sermon in the first pages being a transposition of the Title Wherefore in stead of Is the Safety of a Nation True Repentance read True Repentance is the Safety of a Nation In short let me advise your charitable minds not to studie how to carp at literal faults but study the matter and you will soon be a sharer with me in the pleasure and profit of reading them This I thought fit to write as to antidote it against the tongues of maliciious and envious persons R. H. M. A.