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	lord_n	23,094	5	4.0162	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29102	The imperfect promulgation of the Gospel consider'd a sermon preach'd in the Church of St. Mary le Bow, January 7, 1699/1700 : being an appendix to the lectures of the last year appointed by the Honourable Robert Boyle, Esq. / by Samuel Bradford.	Bradford, Samuel, 1652-1731.	1700 (1700)	Wing B4115; ESTC R25291	15,205	36

when all other proper means having been tryed had prov'd ineffectual When the Messengers formerly sent from God could not prevail last of all he sent his Son Matth. 21.37 It was then when by the disposal of Divine Providence the World was best prepar'd for the receiving him It was when he was become the Desire and Expectation of all Nations Haggai 2.7 Suct●nius Tacitus as not only the Scriptures but some of the Roman Writers themselves do assure us which Expectation was probably deriv'd partly from the Jews who were dispers'd and especially from the Divine Oracles which about three hundred Years before our Lord appear'd had been by Order of Ptolemy Philadelphus translated into the Greek Language and thereby the Predictions concerning the Messiah divulged Finally it was then when first by the Grecian and afterward more fully by the Roman Empire a considerable part of the World was not only conquer'd but civiliz'd also and an intercourse between many Nations establish'd and thereby a Way made for the more easie Publication of the Gospel from Judea throughout the then known Regions of the Earth And certainly This was the fittest Season that ever yet had been for the Appearance of the Saviour of Mankind If we farther proceed to consider in what manner our Lord appointed his Gospel to be published and what Course the first Preachers of it took to that purpose we shall still perceive more of the Reasonableness and Fitness of the Method wich Providence hath used in this Case When our Lord commission'd his Apostles it was to make Disciples out of all Nations 〈…〉 28.29 ●●k 1● 1● and to go into all the World and preach the Gospel to every Creature And the Doctrine which they were to preach was admirably suited to this End It was a Doctrine Rational and Pure fit to be understood and receiv'd by every Nation under Heaven containing nothing Singular nothing Narrow nothing that might separate or distinguish one Nation or Family from another but equally adapted to the Condition of all Mankind There was indeed an occasion here for a miraculous Interposition of Providence and accordingly it pleas'd God to interpose For because those whom our Lord sent to preach his Gospel were unable to speak the Languages of the several Nations to which they were sent and considering farther the strong prejudices that the World lay under against this to them new Religion God therefore bestow'd upon them the Gift of speaking whatsoever Languages should be necessary for propagating the Crhistian Doctrine and also a power of working other Miracles to excite and move their Auditore first to gain their Attention and then to convince their Judgments which Powers continued in the Christian Church as long as they were necessary that is till the GOSPEL was considerably spread abroad and able to support and propagate it self by more Natural Means Such indeed was the Fidelity and Industry of the Apostles and their immediate Successors and so conformable were their Lives to the excellent Doctrine which they preach'd that Christianity had incredible Success in those early times insomuch that in about three hundred Years it prevail'd against all the false Religions which had been so long receiv'd and became the establish'd Religion of the Roman Empire This was the Course which Providence took for the dispersion of the Knowledge of our Saviour and his Religion throughout the World which as it was the most Natural and most reasonable Means to that End so I can hardly doubt but that if the Christians of the Ages following had continu'd to recommend their Profession by the Exemplariness of their Lives and had retain'd that Zeal which their Predecessors shewed for propagating it in the World it had long before this been the establish'd Religion of Mankind So that if the Gospel be not publish'd to the World universally it proceeds not from any defect in the Provision which God hath made to that purpose but from the Fault of those to whom God had committed so great a Trust Had Christian Princes been as zealous to promote the Religion of our Lord as to extend their Empire I mean not by Violence but in Methods suitable to the Nature of this Religion had Christian Subjects been as eager to advance the Knowledge of our Maker and Redeemer in Foreign Parts as they have been to settle Trade and Commerce there had all of us who call our selves Christians shewed forth in Christian Tempers and Practices the Virtues of Him that called us and the Excellency of the Religion he hath taught us there would probably have been no Occasion for enquiring as we now do why the Gospel of our Lord is confin'd within so narrow Bounds Fourthly As I have just now mention'd the open and evident Cause's of the Gospel being not farther propagated so there may be another more secret and hidden Reason of God's permitting some Parts of the Earth to remain ignorant of the Christian Revelation 'T is what we cannot be sure of in all the Instances of this kind But 't is what seems highly probable as to some of them and what some Passages in Scripture seem to hint viz. That God hath in Justice permitted this either because when the Gospel was first preach'd to some Nations they utterly rejected it or because he knew what God only can know that some Nations were so wholly indispos'd to receive it that the Preaching of it to them would have had no other effect but to have aggravated their Condemnation We read that St. Paul and Silas with Timothy were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the Word in Asia Acts 16.6 7 9 10. and again When they essayed to go into Bithynia the Spirit suffered them not and presently after that a Man of Macedonia appear'd to Paul in a Vision and prayed him saying Come over into Macedonia and help us upon which they immediately bent their Course that Way assuredly gathering that the Lord had call'd them to preach the Gospet unto them Now although there might be and probably were other Reasons in these particular Instances why they were diverted from Asia and sent into Macedonia at that time yet hence it plainly appears that the Divine Providence did particularly direct the first Preachers of the Gospel where to publish it and this might sometimes be the Reason of such Direction that in some Places they were better dispos'd to receive it than in others which may be confirm'd by another Passage a little after in the same History It is said that at Corinth the Lord exciting St. Paul by another Vision to preach the Gospel there assign'd this as one Reason For I have much People in this City Acts 18.10 11. that is many who would and accordingly did readily embrace the Christian Doctrine and accordingly the Apostle continued there a Year and six Months teaching the Word of God among them And who knows but that this may be the hidden Cause why God permits some Nations