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
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

Gospel lest by death you are snatcht away and then it is too late Now you have abundance of private helps now you have the Lords-day to spend in holy exercises for the edification of your poor souls Now you have choice and serious Books to meditate on and blessed be the Lord you have the protection of a Christian King O these are great Mercies and we do not know how long or how little while we may enjoy them O therefore make use of time for this time will not last always therefore NOW or NEVER work out your salvation with fear and trembling Consider the words of the Apostle Peter in the second Epistle the first chapter and the tenth verse Wherefore the rather brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure for if ye do these things ye shall never fall In these words there is the Christians duty laid down in the former part of the verse in these words wherefore the rather brethren give diligence then in the succeeding words are the reasons laid downe wherefore this diligence is required and that is to make your calling and election sure then in the last clause of the verse there is a gracious promise to all that are diligent in this work for if you do those things you shall never fall O what comfortable words are these to a poor soul who strives to attain to this work who is diligent in working out his salvation with fear and trembling O let us labor earnestly for the true faith that we may attain to some assurance of our-salvation let us consider and meditate upon those words of the holy Apostle Paul Hebr. 10.21 to the 25 verse the words are these And having an High preist over the house of God let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water Let us hold fast the profession ●f our faith without wavering for he is faithful that promiseth and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works Beloved these things must be done now or else when we have lost our season it will be too late Before I come to a full conclusion I would once again perswade thee to a holy life for fear thou art overtaken with an untimely death I call that untimely death that is if thou art not prepared for it we have not so much cause to fear death as we ought to bewail our wicked life It is too common a Reception amongst many that Death puts a period to all our troubles a short life and a sweet life being the vulgar proverb the sense of their pain more than the desires of their being freed from their sins inviting the hastiness of their lips I confess it is a happiness to die indeed if we are fitted for death if we die with a conscience void of offence towards all men but alas if otherwise our corporal death is but a separation of soul and body Death is common to the good as well as the bad to the Prince as well as the Peasant as the Woman of ●ekoa told David We must all die and are as the water spilt upon the ground that cannot be gathered up again 2 Samuel 14. verse 14. But who is it that truely considers the fearful separation of soul and body from the gracious presence of a merciful God who is it that would here live in a prison a dungeon a sink of sin rather than in a Palace of royal freedom Oh Lord who is it that doth not tremble to think upon this fearful parting whose heart doth not ake within him to think after that woful Sentence of Condemnation Mark 24.51 Depart ye cursed into everlasting fire this will be a sad parting to all those who have not tasted the Lord is gracious and who have not laboured with diligence to make their calling and election sure Consider of it poor soul who ever thou art that remainest in an unregenerate estate whether it be not thy chief concern to be earnest with God in prayer and in all other duties of a Christian now while thou hast health in this life left when thou come to die death prove an eternal death to thy poor soul I do not mean that the soul can die but when the soul and body part thy soul will be eternally burning in hell fire and never die O let the consideration of the shortness of this Life stir thee up to preparation for death that whensoever it comes upon thee it may not come at unawares to thée but be thou ready to imbrace death and say Come Lord Iesus come quickly What are Hon●rs Beauty Riches high p●a●es wit strength friends are they not empty viols are they not common to the wicked as well as the good surely they cannot help they cannot satisfie in the evil day when death comes all will forsake thee and prove but as miserable comforts and deceitful friends therefore NOW or NEVER is the time for thee to work in O let the soul take héed in time let not the love of the world be witch thee die thou must it cannot be avoided but when thou knowest not all the days of thy appointed time thou shalt wait till thy change come job 14.14 Can that tennant be light at heart that knows he shall quickly be turn'd out of doors and hath no place provided wherein he may put his head or canst thou eat or drink or sléep quietly and art no way assured ef a better dwelling when this earthly house of thy tabernacle here shall be dissolved Oh poor s●ul be no longer deluded be no longer so desperate as to hazard thy eternal happiness for the shadows of pleasure for the shadows of profit which are all but vanity and vexation of spirit To conclude then dear Christians let me exhort you in the fear of the Lord to a serious diligence in seeking those things which conduce to the happiness of your poor souls what though persecutions arise be not troubled persecution is the crown and rejoycing of a true Christian Our Savior pronounceth them happy who forsake Father and Mother or Land or any thing for his Names sake As tribulations abound so do our consolations our enemies being instruments of comforting us by afflicting us what creature then should be more joyful than a Christian for God the Creator he is a comforting us while the creature is afflicting us Be not impatient then O suffering soul at the rage and malice of the greatest adversary thou canst have since by the enjoyment of our heavenly Father we are more than conqueror●● Account it the greatest benefit to lye down patiently in the bed of affliction where Christ rests himself with thy soul and will shortly come and lodge with thee in some gracious visitation yea he will visit thee with abundance of consolation and then thou shalt count thy self a gainer if thy afflictions have been so great as to bring forth an eternal reward of joy and blessedness To bring all then to a conclusion let the consideration of all the fore-going benefits which thou wilt attain unto by serious diligence in the practise of holiness incite thée NOW or NEVER to work out thy Salvation with fear and trembling Books sold by Charls Tyus at the Three Bibles on London-bridge THe Wise Merchant Or The Peerless Pearl By T. Calvert Minister of Gods Word in the City of York The Christian Combat Or His true Spiritual Warfare By C. Love late Minister of Gods Word in the City of London The Book of Graces with Prayers for Morning and Evening All but three pence a piece The Sinners Warning-piece Or Heavens Messenger By Tho. Robins B. of D. Mans Chief Guide to Salvation By T. R. B. of D. The Scholars Winter Garment Or The Garment of Righteousness By T. R. Batchelor of Divinity A Wonder of Wonders Or Gods people the Worlds Wonder By R. Hough Englands Golden Legacy Or A brief Description of the Mercies of God bestowed upon England By L. P. Gods Message from Heaven to Sinners on Earth By T. P. B. of D. L. The School of Learning Being Prayers for Morning and Evening for every day in the Week with Graces before and after Meat and a short Catechism for Children The Vertuous Wife is the Glory of her Husband Being a new Book shewing the care qualities of the truly vertuous woman Christ upon the Cross suffering for sinners by S.S. Gods Call to Unconverted Sinners These ten last are but two pence a piece and very seasonable for these sinful times in which we live FINIS