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	scripture_n	19,615	5	6.1818	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A26870	A breviate of the life of Margaret, the daughter of Francis Charlton ... and wife of Richard Baxter ... : there is also published the character of her mother, truly described in her published funeral sermon, reprinted at her daughters request, called, The last work of a believer, his passing-prayer recommending his departing spirit to Christ, to be received by him.	Baxter, Richard, 1615-1691.	1681 (1681)	Wing B1194; ESTC R1213	62,400	127

expectations and preparations for death as made the case of her soul less grievous to me as no way doubting of her salvation and knowing that a distracting Feaver or a Phrensie or an Inflamation or disturbance of the Animal Spirits or Brain or an Impostume may befal the best as soon as the worst I thank God that she was never under any Melancholly which tempted her to any of those doleful evils which many Score I think that have been with me of several ways of education have been sadly tempted to She near 19. year lived with me cheerful wise and a very useful life in constant Love and Peace and Concord except our differing Opinions about tri●●al occurrences or our disputing or differing mode of talk § 10. She was buried on Iune 17. in Christs-Church in the Ruines in her own Mothers Grave The Grave was the highest next the old Altar or Table in the Chancel on which this her Daughter had caused a very fair rich large Marble-stone to be laid Anno 1661. about 20. years ago on which I caused to be written her Titles and some Latin Verses and these English ones Thus must thy flesh to silent dust descend Thy mirth and worldly pleasure thus will end Then happy holy souls but wo to those Who Heaven forgot and earthly pleasures chose Hear now this Preaching Grave without delay Believe repent and work while it is day But Christs-Church on earth is liable to those changes of which the Ierusalem above is in no danger In the doleful-flames of London 1666. the fall of the Church broke this great Marble all to pieces and it proved no lasting Monument and I hope this Paper-Monument erected by one that is following even at the door in some passion indeed of love and grief but in sincerity of truth will be more publickly useful and durable than that Marble-stone was CHAP. X. Some Vses proposed to the Reader from this History as the reasons why I wrote it IF this Narrative be Useless to the Readers it must needs be the sin of the publisher for idle writing is worse than idle words But I think it useful with that which followeth to all these ends to considering men § 1. It may help to convince those that are inclined to Sadducism or Infidelity and believe not the testimony of the sanctifying spirit to the truth of the Word of God but take holiness as it differs from Heathen-morality to be but fancy hypocrisie custom or self-conceit A man that never felt the working of Gods special Grace on his own heart is hardly brought to believe that others have that which he never had himself And this turneth usually to Diabolical malignity inclining them to hate those and revile or dispise them as deluded proud Fanatick hypocrites who pretend to be any better than they are or to have that which they take to be but a conceit All their Religious thoughts they take for the Dreams of crazed or proud persons and their holy discourse and Prayers but for canting or vain babling But acquaintance if intimate with gracious persons might convince them of their mortal error and true History methinks may do much towards it § 2. I confess with thanks to God that having these Forty years found that all our holiness and comfort depends upon our certain perswasion of the life of Retribution following and that our certainty of this depends upon our certain belief of the Holy Scriptures and we being here in the dark and too apt to doubt of all that we see not there are several sensible or experienced present certainties which have been a great succor to my Faith to save me from temptations to unbelief and doubting and confirm my assurance that the Scripture is Gods Word I. In that I undoubtedly by see and hear that through all the world there is just such a pravity in humane nature as the Scripture describeth for original sin which cannot be the state of mans integrity when his reason is much convinced of much of the duty to God man and himself which he will not do and of most of the great sins which he will not forsake II. I see the Scripture clearly verified in mentioning the common enmity and War between the Serpent's and the holy Seed It is notorious through the world in all Ages and Countries an enmity which no Relation or Interest reconcileth III. I feel and see the Scripture verified which describeth all the temptations of Satan and the secret War within us between the spirit and the flesh IV. And I feel and see the Scripture fulfilled which promiseth a blessing on Gods Word and his Ordinances V. And I feel and see the Scripture fulfilled which describeth the renewing work of the Holy Ghost and the spiritual difference of the sanctified from all others This is not only in my self but in others O how many hundred holy persons have I known the witness of Christs Truth and Power and as Ioshua's and Caleb's bunch of Grapes to assure me of the land of Promise and Gods Truth which I see fulfilled in them Can I doubt of holiness when I feel it and see it in the effects VI. Even as it perswadeth me the easilier to believe that there are Devils when I see their very nature and works in Devils incarnate and see what a Kingdom he plainly ruleth in the world and to believe that there is a Hell when I see so much of Hell on Earth § 3. It may teach us that the state of Godliness is not to be judged of by the fears and sorrows in which it usually begins A mans life is not like his Infancy at his birth The fears and penitent sorrows which foolish fleshly sinners fly from do tend to everlasting peace and joy and perfect love will cast out all tormenting fears unless it be those of a timerous diseased temper which have more of sickness than of sin and will be laid aside with the body which was their cause A life of peace and joy on earth may succeed the tremblings of the new-born Convert but a life of full everlasting joy will certainly succeed the perseverance and victory of every believing holy soul. § 4. It may warn all to take heed of expecting too much from so frail and bad a thing as man My dear Wife did look for more good in me and more help from me than she found especially lately in my weakness and decay We are all like Pictures that must not be looked on too near They that come near us find more faults and badness in us than others at a distance know § 5. It should greatly warn us to take heed of small beginnings even a spark of affection honest in the kind may kindle a flame not easily quenched How great a matter may a little fire kindle almost all sin beginneth in a seed or spark which is very hardly known to be a sin or danger § 6. Yea it should warn all to keep all the thoughts affections

taken where the Mother and the children were and saw part of their buildings burnt and some lye dead before their eyes and so Robert got possession of the children But at last she by great wisdom and diligence surprised them and secretly conveyed them to one Mr. Bernards in Essex and secured them against all his endeavours § 3. The Wars being ended and she as Guardian possessing her Son's Estate took him as only Son as her self and used his Estate as carefully as for her self but out of it conscionably paid debts of her Husbands repaired some of the ruined houses and managed things faithfully according to her best discretion until her Son marrying took his Estate into his own hand § 4. She being before unknown to me came to Kederminster twenty miles desiring me to take a House for her alone I told her that I would not be guilty of doing any thing which should separate such a Mother from an only Son who in his youth had so much need of her counsel conduct and comfort and that if passion in her or any fault in him had caused difference the love which brought her through so much trouble for him should teach her patience rather than forsake him She went home but shortly came again and took a house without my knowledg § 5. When she had been there alone a while her unmarried daughter Margaret about seventeen or eighteen years of age came after her from her Brother's resolving not to forsake the Mother who deserved her dearest love and sometime went to Oxford to her elder sister Wife to Mr. Ambrose Vpton then Canon of Christs Church both yet living In this time the good old Mother lived as a blessing among the honest poor Weavers of Kederminster strangers to her whose company for their piety she chose before all the Vanities of the world In which time my acquaintance with her made me know that notwithstanding she had formerly been somewhat passionate she was a woman of all that manly patience in her great tryals that prudence and piety and justice and impartiality and other Virtues which I mentioned in her Funeral Sermon Of her death anon It is her daughters case that this is the Prologue to CHAP. II. Of her Conversion Sickness and Recovery § IN her vain youth Pride and Romances and Company suitable thereto did take her up and an imprudent rigid Governess that her Mother had set over her in her absence had done her hurt by possessing her with ill thoughts of strictness in Religion yet she had a great reverence for some good Ministers especially Mr. Tho. VVright and she thought that she was not what she should be but something better she knew not what must be attained In this case coming to Kederminster for meer love to her Mother she had great aversion to the POVERTY and STRICTNESS of the people there glittering her self in costly Apparel and delighting in her Romances But in a little time she heard and understood what those better things were which she had thought must be attained And a Sermon of Mr. H. Hickman's at Oxford much moved her on Isa. 27. 11. It is a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will not save them c. The Doctrine of Conversion as I preached it as now in my Treatise of Conversion was received on her heart as the seal on the wax Whereupon she presently fell to self-judging and to frequent prayer and reading and serious thoughts of her present state and her salvation § 2. A Religious Maid that waited on her taking king notice of this for she kept all her matters so secret to her self as was her great hurt all her life acquainted her Mother with it and when it would be hid no longer but her frequent Closet-prayers were sometimes over-heard and her changed course of life discerned her Mother who as far as I could discern before loved her least of her three children began to esteem her as her Darling and all her Religious Friends and Neighbours were glad of so sudden and great a change § 3. I will here give you one of her self-judging Papers which I find since her death upon her then sad convictions When I had on Rom. 8. 9. told them how it may be known whether we have Christs Spirit or not she thus repeated the signs with her self-condemnation Mark 1. The Spirit of Christ is the Author of the Scriptures and therefore suiteth your disposition to it and guideth you by it Judgm 1. I fear then I have not the Spirit of Christ for I yet feel no love to Gods word nor closure with it as suitable to me but I am questioning the truth of it or at best quarrelling with it Mark 2. The Spirit of Christ is from heaven from God our Father and leadeth us upward unto him It s work is spiritual of heavenly tendency making us cry Abba Father and working the heart by uniting love to God Judgm 2. It is not so with me for I have a Spirit tending only to selfishness and sin Mark 3. The Spirit of Christ uniteth us to Christ and one another by love and is against hatred division and abusing others Judgm 3. Mine then is the spirit of Cain for I cannot endure any that are not of my opinion and way and it inclineth me to malice and unpeaceableness and division Mark 4. The Spirit of Christ is a spirit of Holiness and doth not favour licentiousness in doctrine or in life Judgm 4. Though I am for strict Principles I am loose in practise Mark 5. Christs Spirit inclineth to love humility and meeknest and makes men stoop to each other for their good Judgm 5. None more uncharitable proud and censorious than I. Mark 6. The Spirit of Christ makes men little low and vile in their own eyes it is pride that puffeth up Judgm 6. My self-conceitedness shews that I am unhumbled Mark 7. The Spirit of Christ doth work to the mortifying of the flesh even all its inordinate desires and to self-denial Judgm 7. I am a stranger to the work of mortification and self-denial I can deny my self nothing but the comfort of well-doing I cannot deny my sloth so far as to go to prayer when I am convinced of my necessity Mark 8. The Spirit of Christ is a prevailing spirit and doth not only wish and strive but overcome the flesh as to its rule Judgm 8. The flesh prevaileth with me against the spirit Mark 9. Christs Spirit is the author of his Worship Ordinances and suits the souls of believers to them the Word Sacraments c. Judgm 9. They seem not suitable to my soul I am against them and had rather not use them if I durst Mark 10. Christs Spirit is in all the Saints and inclineth them to holy Communion with each other in love especially to those in whom this spirit most eminently worketh Judgm 10. It is not thus with me I desire not the Communion of Saints my affections are