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	receive_v	18,187	5	5.7163	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B03494	Great and precious promises; or, Some sermons concerning the promises, and the right application thereof whereunto are added some other concerning the usefulness of faith in advancing sanctification. As also, three more concerning the faith of assurance. / By Mr. Andrew Gray, late minister of the Gospel in Glasgow. All being revised since his death by some friends.	Gray, Andrew, 1633-1656.; Traill, Robert, 1642-1716.; Stirling, John, b. 1621?	1663 (1663)	Wing G1608A; ESTC R177624	115,304	218

been passing many excellent promises he strengtheneth their faith with this Thus saith the Lord God Almighty and no doubt where the word of this King is there is power and who can say unto him what dost thou O misbeliever of the precious promises of the Covenant be ashamed to cast up your eyes to heaven above or to the earth beneath we think the Stars the Sun the Moon and all the works of God they may speak that to you do not misbelieve God but trust in him That is wonderfull in counsell and excellent in working The second is the wisdom and infinit counsel of God he hath not only compleat ability to accomplish the promise that he hath given but he hath the depths and treasures of knowledge by which he hath contrived the way of the accomplishment of such a promise Hence is that word 2 Sam. 23.5 that the Covenant is well ordered which speaketh out the wisdom of God and then that word is subjoyned the Covenant is sure yea the Covenant of Grace is such a thing that there is so much of the arte of heaven so much of infinit wisdom shining in it that it is called the counsel of God Heb. 6.17 That ye might know the immutability of his counsel The third golden pillar is the infinit love of God that though there be nothing in us that can put him to accomplish the promises yet he will take an argument from his own love to make out such a promise to us there is sometimes if not alwayes nothing in us but that which may speak forth delayes of the accomplishment of the promises but when God can bring no argument from us he can bring an argument from his own love as Deut. 7.7 8. where giving a reason of the accomplishment of many promises and of his love to them I loved you saith he because I loved you there being no reason that can be given for love but love The fourth is The unchangeablnesse of the Promiser that he is the same yesterday and to day and for ever and without all alteration and shaddow of change Hence ye may see Exod. 3.14 when God is repeating many preciou● Promises unto Moses He as it were 〈◊〉 strengtheneth Moses faith with this I am saith he that I am which we conceive to point forth the unchangeablnesse of God that what he hath said he will certainly accomplish in its own time and though the vision do tarry yet at last it shall speak The fifth is The faithfulnesse of God and that he is one that cannot lie but certainly will make out what he hath spoken Love it maketh the promises the faithfulnesse and power of God accomplisheth the promises and the infinit wisdom of God chooseth the most fit time for the performing of them Hence it is said Psal 119.89 90. Thy word O Lord is for ever setled in heaven and the ground of it is in the following verse For thy faithfulnesse is unto all generations Hence you may see that oftentimes when God is making promises to his own he putteth to that word I that speak in righteousnesse Isa 45.19 and Isa 63.1 O! must not the promises be unchangeable that are made by the Father who is the God of Truth Must not the promises be unchangeable that are received and merited by the Son that is Truth it self and the faithfull Witnesse and Amen Must not the promises be unchangeable that are applyed by the holy Ghost that is the Spirit of Truth And must not the promises be unchangeable that are made known unto us by the Gospel that is the word of Truth Was there ever any who could leave that upon record of God that he was unfaithfull in the accomplishment of his promises O what a clear sight of the faithfulnesse of God shall a Christian get whe● he shall be standing upon the our most line between Time and Eternity then he will see God faithful in accomplishing all his promises unto him from first to last The last golden pillar is The justice of God His justice it now putteth him to accomplish his promises mercy and righteousnesse have now kissed each other Hence is that word 1 Joh. 1.9 He is just and faithful to forgive So that now the accomplishment of the promises it is not only an act of love but it is an act of justice also We confesse indeed love and mercy maketh the promises but justice and truth also putteth God to the accomplishment of them Hence is that word Micah 7.20 To perform the truth to Jacob and the mercy to Abraham Why is it mercy to Abraham and it is truth to Jacob It is in short this because mercy made the promises to Abraham but truth did accomplish the promises to Jacob. The third thing that we shall speak to from this That the promises are unchangeable shall be to presse these six duties upon you from this point O Christians and Expectants of Heaven who have Christ in you the hope of Glory rejoyce and be exceeding glad that the promises are unchangeable 1. This is a duty that is pressed from that ground Heb. 6.18 That by two immutable things we might have strong consolation There is exceeding much joy that may come to a Christian from this that the promises shall be accomplished i● their own time We conceive that the word unchangeable it is engraven upon the head of many a Christians mercies Is not unchangeable written above the head of our promises Is not unchangeable written upon the head of our blessednesse Is not unchangeable written above the head of our enjoyment of God That day is coming when we shall have unchangeable love unchangeable enjoyment of God and all things unchangeable And we conceive that if these two were believed the truth of the promises and the unchangeablenesse of the promises a Christian might walk through this valey of tears with joy and comfort himself in hope The second duty we would presse is this that ye would surcease and give over your disputings and carnal reasonings about the accomplishment of the promises since the promises of God are unchangeable ought not we with this to silence misbelief and all that blind humane reason can say This is pressed Heb. 6.16 An oath for confirmation it is an end of all strife Gods confirming of his Covenant by an oath it ought to cut short the disputings of misbelief And here give me leave to point out a little these grounds upon which it is that Christians doth so much dispute the accomplishment of promises and to let you see how all these grounds may be answered from these six pillars that were given of their unchangeablnesse The first is When dispensations seemeth to coutradict the truth of the Promises the promise it speaketh one thing and dispensations seem to speak another and this is the occasion that oftentimes Christians cry out Doth his promise fail for evermore This is clear from the practice of David 1 Sam. 27.1 when dispensations were

be content to dig through● earth to get a promise and till we 〈◊〉 at that that our souls would pursue a them from the one end of the world to other And for the grounds of this a●●tion that sensible necessity giveth a righ● the promises if ye will look to these g● promises of the everlasting Covenant they not given to that Christian that is det a need Isa 55.1 2. and Matth. 〈◊〉 where the great promise of the Gosp●● given out and the invitation of 〈◊〉 Christ is unto these that are weary and ●Iaden Christ would account it an exce● courtesie that ye would not dispute believe and that ye would look upon y● necessities as his call to believe the prom● 2. A person that hath a high account o● Promises he hath a right to apply the● mises Let once your soul close with 〈◊〉 by Faith and Love and then you may 〈◊〉 holdnesse close with the Promises 〈◊〉 sesse if we were more in believing the ●ises we would have a higher and 〈◊〉 〈…〉 of the Promiser Would 〈…〉 the reason that Christ is not acco●● matchlesse it is because of this our necessi●ties of the promises is not alwayes within our sight and our exercising of Faith upon the promises is not our daily work 3. This looketh like a right to the promise that which is born in upon a Christians spirit when he is near God in prayer and is under most sensible exercise under his own infirmities he hath readily a right to apply tha● promise As for instance when a Christian is debating himself out of Christ which is but an unpleasant exercise to meet with a promise born in upon their spirit that giveth them some ground of hope that they may apply and rest upon Christ of when a Christian is fainting under affliction and is like to give over to meet with 〈◊〉 word of promise born in upon his spirit 〈◊〉 that doth uphold him in the day of his triall he may probably conclude he hath a right t● believe that promise 4. There is that ev●●dence persons that have an high account 〈◊〉 the promises they have a right to apply 〈◊〉 promises it is an excellent and most conce●● ning work for a Christian to believe the excellency of the promises when he cannot have the actual application of the Promise● For when once a Christian cometh to this 〈◊〉 that the great things of the everlasting Covenant are matchlesse in his eyes then tha● is the valey of Achor and a door of hope that ere long Christ will apply the● 5. When a Christian hath great delight 〈◊〉 ●he promises when they are sweet 〈…〉 ●aste and are the refreshing and rejoy 〈◊〉 his heart that is an undeniable sign that 〈◊〉 hath a right to make use of such promises 〈◊〉 Were your souls never refreshed by reading of the boundlesse Covenant of love an● the sweet promises that are in it I would have Christians marking these promises tha● have upholden them in their straits I would have them marking the promises that ha●● been lievely to their souls and say Th● once was my goodly meat and made me 〈◊〉 rejoyce in the house of my affliction and 〈◊〉 would have a Christian marking the time 〈◊〉 the accomplishment of the Promises 〈◊〉 which he will see infinite wisdom shining 〈◊〉 ordering the accomplishment of the pr● nises to such a time And I would have 〈◊〉 Christian marking the frame of his own spirit when the promises are accomplished as ye will find often in Scripture and 〈◊〉 ●ll this ye should find such a reviving an● profitable delight in the promises th●●ould give a very full evidence of your righ unto them 6. Lastly when a Christi●● under straits can receive consolation from 〈◊〉 ●ther thing but all prove Physicians of 〈◊〉 ●●lue and miserable comforters when 〈◊〉 Christian is convinced there is no joy 〈◊〉 ●e had under such a crosse but in the faith●●●e promises that is an evidence that th● person hath a right to the promises 〈◊〉 would only say this O beloved in the Lo●●●not this your guilt your undervaluing ●●e promises and your little exercise ●ith I would pose you with this w●●●●st studied ye to apply any promise of 〈◊〉 Covenant of Grace When last did ye ex●ercise faith upon any of them Shall I tell you what is the practise of the most part of us we study perhaps to apply one promise but for the rest of the promises we lay them aside and do totally neglect them we study to apply the promises of salvation and of having redemption through Christ but for the promises of Sactification for the promises to help us to perform duties for the promises to support us under the crosse for the promises to comfort us in our way to heaven for promises in reference to all ordinary things we are not much in application of these O but if a Christian were believing the promises he might sit down even while he is here and sing one of the songs of Zion though yet but in a strange land The second thing that I shall speak to upon the application of the promise shall be to propose unto you some rules that ye would mare use of in the application of them and shal name unto you these Frst Study these four things one is the faith●ninesse and truth of the promises that such thing is the saying of him that is the faithful witnesse and Amen This was the● practie of Paul 1 Tim. 1.15 the way how● he was ought to make application of the promise was 1. by laying down that conclusion this is a faithfull saying and Ren. 22. frot the beginning to the 6. verse whose there ●n great promises made and much spoken t● the commendation of heaven this is subjoyned in the 6. verse These are 〈◊〉 faithfull and true sayings of God As if Jo● had said all that I have spoken concerni●● heaven will be to no purpose except ye believe the truth of the promises and this w● the practice of David 2 Sam. 7.28 T● words are truth O Lord he subjoyneth th● unto the actual application of the promise 2. Study the sweetnesse and excellency 〈◊〉 the promises this was the practice of Pa●● 1 Tim. 1.15 This is a faithfull saying 〈◊〉 then he subjoyneth and worthy of all acctation And this was the practice of David Psal 119.72 I have esteemed the laws of 〈◊〉 mouth better then thousands of gold and sil●● O such an opinion to esteem the promi●● better then thousands of gold It is he●● rodox amongst the most part of you th●● prefer the world before the promises of 〈◊〉 Covenant and it was his practice vers 10 and ver 162. I rejoyce at thy word as one th● findeth great spoil he had a higher acco●● of the promises then to divide the spo●●●●er war 3. Let the Christian study 〈◊〉 necessity that he hath of the promise th● there is no way of winning above that necesity but the closing with the promise