Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A65385
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A sermon before the societies for reformation of manners in Dublin preached in New-Row, April the 26th, 1698 / by Nath. Weld.
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Weld, Nathaniel, d. 1731.
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1698
(1698)
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Wing W1261; ESTC R24608
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16,736
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28
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pouring out the Spirit from on high and such a plentiful Increase of Judgement and Righteousness And this shall be the Subject of what I shall offer to you from these words Doct. That the effusion of the holy Spirit is necessary in order to an effectual and thorough Reformation Now the consideration of this Truth leads me First To Enquire what we are to understand by this pouring forth the Spirit from on high Secondly To shew what Influence this effusion of the Holy Spirit has upon an effectual and thorough Reformation And when I have made some brief Reflections on each of these I shall chiefly insist on the Application of this truth to the present Occasion First Let us consider what is to be understood by pouring the Spirit from on high and all that I shall observe to you under this head shall be in these Three Propositions First That there are real communications of the Spirit of God to Men That Divine Spirit that garnished the Heavens and moved upon the Face of the Waters in the old Creation has he no share of efficiency in the new This is most Incredible and so much the rather because the work of Application in this Oeconomy pecularly terminates in him Indeed by what display of his Divine Power he works upon the Souls of men is not easie to be expressed or conceived Doubtless 't is in a manner that is accommodated to our rational Faculties and fully consistent with that Liberty that is Essential to a free Creature But thô the nature of these Operations be secret like the Original of the Wind yet the Effects thereof are as sensible as its sound and force to which they are compared by our Saviour John 3.8 And why should it be thought Unreasonable that this Blessed Spirit should have access to ours when Wicked Spirits may and can fill the heart and do work effectually in the children of Disobedience Acts 5.3 Eph. 2.2 And even the Heathen world was wont to ascribe any extraordinary appearances in men to their having the Spirit of God as Pharaoh concerning Joseph can we find such a man as this Gen. 41.38 Dan. 5.14 one in whom the Spirit of God is And Belshazzar says to Daniel I have heard of thee that the Spirit of the Gods is in thee Let not such a Truth be doubted among Christians that extorted an acknowledgement of it self by its own Evidence from a Pagan World Secondly These communications of the Spirit 1 Cor. 12.4 are of several kinds for there are diversities of Gifts but the same Spirit he is the Sacred Fountain both of common Gifts and special Grace and may be said to be poured out upon men with respect to both First In the dispensation of common Gifts In this sense many are anointed who are not truly Sanctified they have a manifestation of the Spirit given them to profit withal they are qualified for some particular service to which they were appointed 〈◊〉 45. ◠4 as Cyrus is called God's anointed thô he knew not God Thus eminent Qualifications for the Civil Magistracy such as Wisdom Integrity Justice Fortitude c. are a communication from the Spirit In this sense the Spirit of the Lord is said to come upon Saul when the Cruelty of Nahash rais'd his Courage 1 Sam. 11.6 to deliver the men of Jabesh Gilead Thus also Ministerial Gifts are a Dispensation of the Spirit in 1 Cor. 12.9 and 10 verses the Apostle enumerates several of them both ordinary and extraordinary and concludes verse 12. All these worketh one and the same Spirit dividing to every man severally as he will Under this head we may also consider those common Operations of the Holy Spirit by which he enlightens the Minds and awakens the Consciences of many who are not truly sanctified On this account they are said to be partakers of the Holy Ghost Heb. 6.4 By those rational convictions which he suggests to their Minds Gen. 6.3 the Spirit of God strives with the Spirits of Men 1 Thes 5.19 Isa 63.10 and when sinners do desparately outrage their own light and Rebel against it they are said to quench and vex the Holy Spirit So that this is a way of expression familiar and frequent in the Scriptures and we may well be allowed to conform our selves thereto thô some prophane Wits have attempted to expose such kind of Language as Cant Enthusiasm or Mystical Nonsense to the great reproach of the Holy Scriptures and dishonour of the Holy Spirit who Inspired them Secondly In the communication of special Grace Thus God promises Zech. 12.10 And I will pour upon the house of David and upon the Inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of Grace and of Supplications c. The Holy Spirit is poured out as a Spirit of Grace both when he Implants Grace and when he Excites it First When he Implants Grace for he it is that forms those inward dispositions that are the Seeds and Principles of Holiness and in this way of Operation he introduces a marvelous Change he disingages men from a wild purfuit of deluding happiness in sensible good and causes them to become rightly affected to God in a Redeemer as their rightful Lord and Soveraign satisfying good Herein lyes much of the Nature of true Conversion which in the Scripture dialect is to be born again and born of the Spirit See John 3.3 and 6. Secondly He is poured out as a Spirit of Grace when he excites it Holy Souls do experimentally know that there are such things as Divine Influences by which gracious affections are inlarged and their Souls do follow hard after God Psal 63.8 And why should it be thought strange that the blessed Spirit should move upon his own work and raise and strengthen those Holy dispositions which himself has formed Psal 63.12 Does not David pray that God would uphold him with his free Spirit and under Spiritual Decays and Indisposedness for intercourse with God How many vehement desires does his holy Soul breath forth for quickening Influences in that 119 Psalm I come to the Third Proposition Thirdly There are Seasons wherein these communications of the Spirit are more plenteous and abundant than at other times Sometimes they may in a great measure be suspended our sloth and misimprovement may forfeit them and then the interests of practical Godliness will lye in a languishing state and the good things that are in us be ready to dye In this frame we shall have little delight in Converses with God or Zeal for his Glory our hearts will be unready for self-denying instances of Obedience and generous designs of usefulness to others will be swallowed up by some poor low Interests which the Flesh calls our own But there are happy Seasons wherein the Spirit of Life is poured forth again and these Spiritual ruines are repaired thereby and when this Blessing becomes General the effects of it will soon be visible in the World 'T
compleating Head stone also That we may with Shoutings cry Grace Grace unto it Zech 4.7.9 And shou'd it not raise our hopes higher to behold a portion of the same Spirit resting upon our Publick Councils Are not those Excellent Laws against some instances of Vice that have been lately Enacted both in England and this Kingdom And that Pious Zealous Address of those Noble Senators in England the fruit thereof Surely 't is matter of great Incouragement and ground of hope that our Legislative Powers have thus own'd and succoured the languishing Cause of Religion Yea several of those that are in Subordinate Authority seem anointed with the same Spirit Among whom the Magistraâ—â— of this City and some persons of Worth in the Commission for the Peace near it deserve a most Honourable Remembrance both for their active Zeal in punishing Offenders and their prudent care to cover Informers from Violence and Rage And is not this Sacred Anointing upon the head of our Body Politick descended to the Skirts of our Garments even to many Private persons whose Spirits God has stirred up to put their hand to this Work with Zeal Alacrity Courage and Self-denial It looks as tho' God had some Merciful Design on foot when he has done such a new thing in the Earth that private persons have formed themselves into distinct Societies that their Endeavours may be both more Regular and Successful in executing our Wholsom Laws And the Design seems so much the more to be of God that there is such a sweet harmony and accord among persons of different Perswasions in promoting the common Interest of Religion And that I may mention no more It looks like a Token for Good That so many of the Rising Generation seem to have in their hearts some good thing towards the Lord God of Israel That the Lord is pleased to rejoyce in our Young Men that his Providence has so wonderfully secured any of them from the infection of evil Examples and preserved them from the Vanities and Vices to which that Age is commonly addicted So that instead of Sensual Intertainments they associate for the Exercises of Religious Worship and to provoke one another to Love and to Good Works Oh my Brethren what an happy change may we see in the Face of our Affairs What a turn has God given to the Spirits and Inclinations of many It would be a denying to give unto God the Glory due to his Name to ascribe so great an Effect to a lower Cause I conclude therefore that there are some Effusions of the Spirit from on high among us And Oh what encouragement shou'd you derive from hence to go on with undaunted Fortitude and Zeal May I not apply to you the words of the Prophet Haggai 2.4 Yet now be strong oh Zerubbabel c. Be strong all ye people of the Land saith the Lord and work for I am with you saith the Lord of Hosts This Consideration should be your great Relief against the difficulty of the Work you find it proposed for this end by the Holy Ghost Zech. 4.6 Not by Might nor by Power but by my Spirit saith the Lord and then it follows Who art thou O great Mountain before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a Plain Assistances from the Holy Spirit should raise our Hearts and Hopes above all discouragement It must be confest there are Mountainous Difficulties in the Way but what are they before the Spirit of God How soon can Omnipotency smooth and level them Our Disease is indeed so inveterate it has spread so far and prevailed so long that our Case would be desparate in any other Hand But if that great Physitian undertake the Cure of our sick Souls and State the work will prosper in his Hand This Consideration should also help you against the paucity of the Numbers that are yet Ingaged in this Work it is yet but in its Infancy and Beginning If we do not sin away our own Mercies this heavenly Dew will descend more plenteously and difuse its self more generally so that this small Cloud shall cover the whole Heavens The work is in his Hand who can of Stones raise up Children unto Abraham Let us not therefore despise the day of small things but persist in this way of known duty and refer the Issue to the Soveraign will of God Tho' the Body of the People should not yet be Reformed yet a small number of Zealous Pious Persons may be set in the Balance against all the rest and may prevail to obtain a longer space of Repentance for them and in order thereto your Example may provoke others to an Holy Emulation yea it has done so already The happy Design was at first but in a few hands all of them Members of the Establisht Church This Honour God has put upon them and it should be far from being matter of Envy to Protestant Dissenters who I hope will bless God for it and be ready to acknowledge it to their just praise upon all occasions But is not Jacob's Staff already become Two Bands in this City And does not the same design happily succeed in some other parts of this Kingdom and we hope will in a little time prevail in many more May we not see God going forth with us and shall our Successes dishearten us Shall we faint with grounds of hope about us on every side Oh remember you serve a good Master you are Engaged in a most Honourable Work You have promises concerning effectual help and if a Season for an eminent effusion of the Holy Spirit be at hand Mercy will further shew its pleasing Face to us on every Hand Glory will adorn our Lands and great will be the day of Jezreel But whatever be the Issue tho' Israel should not now be gathered tho' these attempts for Reformation should be fruitless which God forbid yet if your Hearts be sincere in this Work the Lord will not be Unrighteous to forget your Zeal and that Labour of Love which you have shewn and shall further shew to his Name in this matter FINIS