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	trinity_n	7,211	5	10.1332	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A87177	The everlasting joys of heaven: or, The blessed life of a Christian, in grace here; and in glory here-after. Set forth for the comfort and encouragement of all those that desire to fear the Lord; / by John Hart, a servant of Jesus Christ. Recommended to the reader, by Obadiah Sedgewick, and Iohn Downam, ministers of the Gospel.	Hart, John, D.D.; Sedgwick, Obadiah, 1600?-1658.; Downame, John, d. 1652.	1656 (1656)	Wing H948; Thomason E1680_2; ESTC R209155	49,553	177

is to look upon 6. The Company we shall enjoy there Ill Company-torments our Spirits much Solomon says that it is better to dwell on the house top than with a contentious woman in a large house And David a holy man was weary of dwelling in Meshec and having his habitation in the Tents of Kedar And in Sodome their unjust conversation did vex Lots righteous soul And Ier. 9.2 He wishes for a Cottage of wayfaring men in the wilderness that he might leave his people being all Adulterers and Rebels rather than to live in such ill company But here in heaven The excellency of the Company far exceeds the building The presence of God himselfe in our Fathers house of Christ and the holy Ghost in Trinity not enjoying them as here onely in our assistance of the spirit but then an hundred times more clearly than now they shall dwell with us and we shall have full and clear immediate Communion with them and so with all the holy Angels who here are said to be ministring Spirits unti us Heb. 1. a very great favour but then we shall see much more clearly into their nature and excellency and know much better what they are and have done for us And so to have society with the Saints the Family of Heaven all of one Nature Will Affection Mind Desire Aim and Endeavour without any crossnes burthen or distemper to one another as here Though as it is said Ezek. 2.6 we dwell here amongst rebels thorns and scorpions yet there shall be no such annoyance where of all things that offend shall none trouble There shall be no Goats in that Fold no no Scorpions to bite no Thorns and Briars in our sides to prick no mockers slanderers or backbiters no tares or darnel or chaffe among that wheat no offensive or unclean thing can or shall enter there all shall be pure and holy Another Consideration is 7. Our employment there This also sets forth the excellencie of this building we shall not be idle there For even in the estate of Innocency Adam was set and appointed to dress and trim Paradise The soul it self is not capable of rest but must have some employment And though it be said Rev. 14. That the dead are fully blessed because they rest from their labours which is onely meant of their irksome toyling upon earth and is not said to bar us from an imployment in heaven suitable unto that estate we shall enjoy there For of those described Revel. 7.13 15. who had made their long Robes white in the blood of the Lamb having gone through many tribulations it is said That Therefore they are in the presence of the Throne of God and serve him day and night in his Temple and he that sitteth on the Throne will dwell among them So that as here it is our duty to serve God continually so there it shall be our honour reward and delight when all other relations services shal have an end to be perpetual spectators actors of so much ravishing excellency all which service shall be done and continued with much freedome and joy and without any pain or wearinesse unto us because as in the Lord Jehovah there is everlasting strength so we shall from him receive everlasting strength and perpetual refreshing from him so as we shal never be weary of our imployment but it shall be our delight joy to serve and praise God for ever For though he hath no need of our service yet we shall thus be perpetually honored delighted by it It shal be our ravishing delightful imployment to serve God in Christ continually The last main consideration of this Building which is a great one 8. The possession and enjoying For this makes up the pitch of all our Blessednesse not the possession onely but the comfortable enjoying of what we do possesse in a joyfull manner For in the middest of riches and abundant outward things yet a man possessed of them may live in want having no comfortable possession of them or quiet enjoying of them as it is one thing to live another thing to live joyfully and as a man may be old and yet not said to have lived long when he hath not injoyed his life comfortably So it is here in all which hath been said of this Building if we injoyed not what we possessed and that fully there were no blessednesse in it This is the Crown of all to injoy what we possesse But there in a speciall manner we shall enjoy the presence of God in Christ with the holy Ghost being present to our sight and understanding fully and clearly unto all eternity On earth the Saints have no Communion or fellowship with the Trinity God in Christ and his blessed spirit but what is joined with distractions and interruptions of their comforts and feelings having times of dissertions and withdrawing of their comforts But it shall not be so in heaven where we shall have a full ravishing intelectual understanding of the blessed Trinity as it is wicked mens misery to he without God in the world who know and can speak many good things but have no true taste and inioyment of the same wanting the heavenly influence and comforts thereof and as in this life it is a Godly mans affliction to want Gods presence being scanted in his favours so there on the contrary it shall be our everlasting blessednesse that we shall fully see and enjoy with all the whole powers and might of the soul with an actual intellectual full sight the fulnesse of God in fruition of the Beatifical vision for ever as it is 1 John 3.2 Dearly beloved now are we the sons of God but yet it is not made manifest what we shall be and we know that when be shall be made manifest we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is It is true indeed that God the father is invisible that no man hath seen God at any time and that he cannot be seen no not with our eyes glorified but we shall have a full clear distinct sight and understanding of the fulnesse of God in the Beatificall vision in Christ Jesus who is said to be the ●uage of the invisible God in whom dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily and in whom the fathers pleasure was that all fulnesse should dwell Colos. 1.15.19 and 2.9 A clear understanding of God in Christ with the fulnesse of an intelectual knowledge that we shall as it were be pitched and rolled upon the continual intuition of the satisfactory fulnesse of that our knowledge and enjoying of that beatifical vision for ever Which it seemeth is that which the Apostle aimeth at 1. Cor. 15.28 And when al things shal be subdued then shal the Sun himself also be subject unto him who did subdue al things under him that God may be all in all So resigning his Mediatorship to live as an heir with us in one body in the beholding

good subjects submitting themselves thereunto that they should have a pardon of all their sins and inherit eternall life having freedome to come and drink freely of the water of life Of all which and a great deal more the spirit convinceth us of Because Christ our surety is at liberty having paied all our debts and returned in our nature and flesh into heaven now set down at the right hand of the father pleading our cause and making good there his purchased redemption by his continuall intercession for us in heaven putting sweet incense and odors into our prayers that they may be accepted But this is not all for yet a main thing remains though we be convinced of the forementioned two things yet here are The sons of Anak to be encountred with Principalities and powers to wrestle against strong oppositions within and without us of the world the flesh and the Divel concerning our continuance and holding out unto the end in all these tumults we are to passe through and war against so many dangerous enemies Here then in the next place comes that third conviction of the Spirit to convince our best judgements that our fears are in vain and that we shall notwithstanding all the rubs in our way overcome all and triumph over all as Christ our head hath done for us so shal we conquer all in him as it is Rom. 8. nay that in all these things we are more than conquerours in him who hath loved Us For the Prince of this world is judged meaning that as a condemned man hath no power no sentence no voice no freedome but is limited bound and manacled so is it with the Divell who is judged chained and fettered up from hurting us and therefore that Christ as he is the Author so he will be the finisher of our faith Heb 12.2 And that Christ will no fail nor be discouraged untill he bring forth judgement unto victory that is plant in us such a victorious sanctification in the soul which shall overcome all adverse powers in its way betwixt us and heaven This is that third Conviction of the spirit where with the two former going on in a holy frame of sanctification in newnesse of life then our souls are soundly seasoned then are we rightly qualified to know that which is the second thing propounded That we may come to know and he assured of a future glorious estate to come which knowledge our Saviour calleth life eternall Iohn 17.2 To know God thus revealed in the high perfections of Jesus Christ in a Practical way which we may certainly attain unto as it is clear by the whole currant of the Scriptures and those many gratious promises and many trials of the same interest we have in set down to examine our selves by al which were in vain if no such certainty of our future estate to come were attainable But to name a few trials onely passing by the Promises which are so aboundant We know By these signs as of having the spirit of Christ or else to be none of his Rom. 8.9 In our not walking after the flesh but after the spirit Rom. 8.1 Of our being new creatures 2 Cor. 5.17 Of endeavouring to purifie our selves even as he is pure 1 Iohn 3.3 Of having heavenly mounted affections where Christ is at the right hand of the father Colloss. 3.1 Of being translated from death to life becaused we love the brethren 1 Iohn 4 13. Of loving one another v. 17. By conformity with him in his sufferings Rom. 6.5 Of putting on the Lord Jesus and making no provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof Rom. 13.14 Of being partakers of the Divine nature in being full of gratious goodnesse having eschewed that corruption which is in the world through lust 2 Pet. 1.3 whereby and many other the like Trials whereunto gratious exceeding rick and precious promises are belonging True like God himself we may come to know and have assurance of a future glorious estate to come in the heavens having these and other the like qualifications all of them branches of The new Creature as witnesses of the truth of our sanctification in our renewed estate following upon our justification which if in truth is inseparably accompanied with sanctification spreading it self universally through all all the parts and powers and faculties of soul and body though in every part not totally renewed And then in the next place We may know that we know TWO ways 1 By Gods spirit witnessing with our spirit that we are the children of God Rom. 8 16. 2 By the immediate testimony of the spirit sometimes by it self alone not joining with our spirits or the word Which are both mentioned 1 Iohn 5.7 8. For there are three which bear record in heaven The Father The Son and The Holy Ghost and these three are one and there are three which bear record on earth The Spirit The Water and the Bloud and these three agree in one in discovery whereof it may a little help us in this great businesse To distinguish these witnesses how and when they witnesse The witnesse of Gods spirit from the witnesse of our spirit upon earth and betwixt the immediate witnesse of The Spirit as it were immediately from heaven from the witnesse of the same spirit with our spirits which may help to clear this in shew intricate discovery under correction I take 1. The Witness of our Spirit To be nothing else but The Reflecting Testimony or Answer of a good Conscience in our sincere upright walking according unto the Rules prescribed in the word of God whereof it seems St. Paul speaks Act. 24.15 of his keeping a good Conscience before God and Men because he looked for a Resurrection both of the just and she unjust And Ioh 3. This whole chapter is nothing else but the Witness of his Spirit in his Uprightness and sincerity of his Obedience throughout the Commandements So David Psal. 18.20 he makes use of the Witnesse of his Spirit testifying his Obedience and Uprightnesse And so 1 Sam. 12.3 he makes use of the Witnesse of his Spirit this way unto the people clearing himself from oppression and briberie Whose Oxe or whose Asse have I take Or to whom have I done wrong And the whole Church it selfe is brought in clearing her selfe though she were beaten down into the Den of Dragons as it were and covered with the shadow of death Psal. 44.17 That for all this she had not dealt falsly in the Covenant nor stretched out her hands to looke after a strange God whereby it seems that there is a twofold Witnesse of our Spirit The witness of our Spirit in a Calm The witness thereof in a Tempest The former whereof is without difficulty and ordinary the usuall answer and reflecting testimony of a good conscience directed upon all occasions by the rules of the word when we are not hardly and sore put to it by grievous trials of dissertions damps intermissions of