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	sin_n	21,269	5	5.1366	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A30209	The strait gate, or, Great difficulty of going to Heaven plainly proving by the Scriptures that not only the rude and profane, but many great professors will come short of that Kingdom / by John Bunyan.	Bunyan, John, 1628-1688.	1676 (1676)	Wing B5600; ESTC R26567	52,935	156

the chapter There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth when ye shall see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of heaven and you your selves thrust out For many I say unto you These words I told you carry in them a double argument for confirmation of the truth asserted before first the professors are here particularly pointed at and secondly it is the saying of the truth himself for these words I say are words full of authority I say it I say unto you sais Christ as he saith in another place It is I that speak behold it is I. ●he person whose words we have now under consideration was no blundering raw-headed preacher but the very wisdom of God his son and him that hath l●in in his bosom from everlasting and consequently had the most perfect knowledg of his fathers will and how it would ●are with professors at the end of this world And now hearken what himself doth say of the words which he hath spoken heaven and earth shall pass away but my word shall not pass away Matt. 24. 35. I say unto you The Prophets used not to speak after this manner nor yet the holy Apostles for thus to speak is to press things to be received upon their own authority They used to say thus saith the Lord or Paul or Peter an Apostle or a servant of God But now we are dealing with the words of the son of God it is he that hath said it wherefore we fin●e the truth of the perishing of many professors asserted and confirmed by Christs own mouth This consideration carrieth great awakning in it but into such a fast sleep are many now adays fallen that nothing will awaken them but that shril and terrible cry behold the bridegroom comes go ye out to meet him I say unto you There are two things upon which this assertion may be grounded 1. There is in the world a thing like grace that is not 2. There is a sin called the sin against the holy Ghost from which there is no redemption and both these things befall professors First There is in the world a thing like grace that is not 1. This is evident because we reade that there are some that not only make a fair shew in the flesh that glory in 〈…〉 that appear beautiful on ward 〈…〉 God 's people but have not the grace 〈◊〉 Gods people Gal. 6. 12. 〈…〉 ●ut 23. 27. Is● 5 2 〈…〉 ose frequent cautions that are every where in the Scriptures given us about this thing Be not deceived let a man examine himself examine your selves whether you be in the faith all these expressions intimate to us that there may be a shew of or a thing like grace where there is no grace indeed Galat. 6. 7. 1 Cor. 11. 28. 2 Cor. 13. 5. 3. This is evident from the conclusion made by the holy Ghost upon this very thing for if a man thinketh himself to be something when he is nothing he deceiveth himself Gal. 6. 3. The holy Ghost here concludeth that a man may think himself to be something may think he hath grace when he hath none may think himself something for heaven and another world when indeed he is just nothing at all with reference thereto the holy Ghost also determ●n●s upon this po●●● to ●●t that they do ●o ●c●e●ve themselves for 〈…〉 is nothing he deceiveth himself he deceiveth his own soul he deceiveth himself of heaven and salvation so again let no man beguile you of your reward Col. 2. 18. 4. It is also manifest from the text for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be able alas great light great parts great works and great confidence of heaven may be where there is no faith of Gods elect no love of the spirit no repentance unto salvation no sanctification of the spirit and so consequently no saving grace but Secondly as there is a thing like grace which is not so there is a sin called the sin against the holy Ghost from which there is no redemption and this sin doth more ordinarily befal professors 1. There is a sin called the sin against the holy Ghost from which there is no redemption this is evident both from Matthew and Mark But whosoever speaketh against the holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world neither in the world to come But he that shall blaspheme against the holy Ghost hath never forgiveness but is in danger of eternal damnation Matt. 12. 32. Mar. 3. 29. wherefore when we know that a man hath sinned this sin we are not to pray for him or to have compassion on him 1 Joh. 15. 16. Judg. 22. 2. This sin doth most ordinarily besal professors for there are few if any that are not professors that are at present capable of sinning this sin They which were once e●lightned and have tasted the heavenly gift that were made partakers of the holy Ghost and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come Heb. 6. 4. 5. of this sorr are they that commit this sin Peter also describes them to be such that sin the unpardonable sin For if after they have escaped the pollution of the world through the knowledg of our Lord and savi●●r Jesus Christ they are again intangled therein and overcome the latter end is wors● with them then the beginning 2 Pet. 2. 2. That other passage in the tenth of the hebrews holdeth forth the same thing for if we sin wilfully after w● have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin but a certain fearful looking for of Judgment and fiery indignation that shall devour the adversaryes Heb. 10. 26. 27. These therefore are the persons that are the prey for this sin this sin feedeth upon professors and they that are such do very often fall into the mouth of this eater Some fall into the mouth of this sin by delusions and doctrins of devils and some fall into the mouth of it by returning with the dog to his own vomit again and with the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire 1 Pet. 2. 22. I shall not here give you a particular description of this sin that I have done elsewhere but such a sin there is and they that commit it shall never have forgiveness and I say again there be professors that commit this unpardonable sin yea more then the most are aware of let all therefore look about them the Lord awaken them that they may so do for what with a profession without grace and by the venom of the sin against the holy Ghost many will seek to enter in and shall not be able Will seek to enter in This kingdom at the gate of which the reprobate will be stopt will be at the last Judgment the desire of all the world and they especially they in my text will seek to enter in For

swallowed up all because he was run down by the Modes and Persians how art thou fallen from heaven Lucifer sun of the morning how art thou cut down to the ground that didst weaken the nations If such a thing as this will with amazement surprize the damned what an amazement will it be to them to see such an one as he whose head reached to the clouds to see him come down to the pit and perish for ever like his own dung Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming it stirreth up the dead for thee even all the chief ones of the earth Isa. 14. they that see thee shall ●narrowly look upon thee and consider thee saying is this the man●● Is this he that professed and dispu●●d and forsook us but now he is come to us again is this he that separated from us but how is he fallen with us into the same eternal damnation with us Sixthly yet again one word more if I may awaken professors 1. consider though the poor carnal world shall certainly perish yet they will want these things to aggravate their sorrow which thou wilt meet with in every thought that thou wilt have of the condition thou wast in when thou wast in the world 1. They will not have a profession to bite them when they come thither 2. They will not have the tasts of a lost heaven to bite them when they come thither 3. They will not have the thoughts of I was almost at heaven to bite them when they came thither 4. They will not have the thoughts of how they cheated saints Ministers Churches to bite them when they come thither 5. They will not have the dying thoughts of false faith false hope false repentance and false holyness to bite them when they come thither I was at the gates of heaven I looked into heaven I thought I should have entred into heaven O how will these things sting they will if I may call them so be the sting of the sting of death in hell fire Seventhly Give me leave now in a word to give you a little advice 1. Doest thou love thine own soul then pray to Jesus Christ for an awakned heart for an heart so awakned with all the things of another world that thou maiest be allured to Jesus Christ. 2. When thou comest there beg again for more awaknings about sin hell grace and about the righteousness of Christ. 3. Cry also for a spirit of discerning that thou maist know that which is saving-grace indeed 4. Above all studies apply thy self to the study of those things that shew thee the evil of sin the shortness of mens life and which is the way to be saved 5. Keep company with the most godly among professors 6. When thou hearest what the nature of true grace is defer not to ask thine own heart if this grace be there and here take heed 1. That the preacher himself be●ound and of good life 2. That thou takest not seeming graces for real ones nor seeming fruits for real fruits 3. Take heed that a sin and thy life goes not unrepented of for that will make a ●law in thine evidence a wound in thy conscience and a breach in thy peace and an hundred to one if at last it doth not drive all the grace in thee into so dark a corner of thy heart that thou shalt not be able for a time by all the torches that are burning in the Gospel to finde it out to thine own comfort and consolation FINIS