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	truth_n	15,566	5	5.7471	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54840	An effectual prescription against the anguish of all diseases and against all other afflictions to which the nature of man is subject. Penn'd, and publish'd, and approv'd, from the author's experience of it: but more especially from the experience of very many much greater and better men, the latchet of whose shoes he is not worthy to untie.	Pierce, Thomas, 1622-1691.	1691 (1691)	Wing P2181A; ESTC R218982	12,546	28

said unto the Christians who dwelt at Rome God be thanked that ye were the Servants of Sin Rom. 6. 17. Where it is to be noted in prevention of a Mistake in the weaker sort who may be bold to sin the more that Grace may abound and that he may have the more occasion to give God thanks and may love him the more the more he hath to be forgiven him St. Paul did not say God be thanked that ye are but that ye were the Servants of Sin which is as if he should have said God be thanked that ye are not the Servants of Sin tho' once ye were For it follows in the next words But ye have obeyed and obeyed from the heart not above board and in open Shew only that form of Doctrine which was delivered unto you and for that God be thanked §. XVIII This Rejoycing evermore and giving of Thanks in all Conditions especially in the most Adverse whether Appointed or Permitted by the good Providence of God A world of Confessors and Martyrs have been convinced of being possible by plain experience and Experience is the Great Mistress which will instruct the most stupid and convince the most stubborn of her Disciples The Experience I speak of is plainly this that by the perpetual Blessing of God whereby the worst of all Evenements work together for good to them that love God There is nothing adds more to a Man's Happiness upon Earth than to be injur'd for this Well-doing and Envied for his being Blameless and bitterly hated by such as God hates and for receiving much evil for his Good offices or his Good will For to suffer such things as those with Faith and Patience and Thanksgiving is said by St. Peter to be Thankworthy and a thing Acceptable with God Whereas to suffer for Evil-doing or to be commended for doing well can never be said to be Thank-worthy and much less to be Meritorious §. XIX If Transitory Comforters could make us happy it would be then a kind of Happiness to abound with Flatterers and Parasites the greatest Comforters for a time this World can yield us who yet are worthily esteemed the greatest Plagues too because they are Comforters but for a time And for this very reason the goodliest possessions upon Earth considered simply in themselves are but glittering Plagues because they are Flatterers and Parasites which comfort us only for a time and by ceasing at last to comfort must needs torment us But now the Holy Spirit of God who is called The Comforter in the Gospel is quite a contrary Comforter to all the Comforters I speak of For when the Secular Comforters forsake us He takes us up His Comforts commonly begin when all the rest are perish'd with us He is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Friendly Comforter indeed who will abide with us for ever if we will but afford him an Entertainment and not resist him at his Coming nor Grieve him away when he is entered §. XX. Consider the Promise our Saviour made to his First Disciples that He would pray the Father who would give them another Comforter even the Spirit of Truth who should abide with them for ever And mark how well he performed his Promise For when they were Persecuted and Beaten for having preached up CHRIST they were so Inwardly strengthened by the Holy Ghost the Comforter that what was cruelly intended to make them sorry was miraculously made to increase their Ioys And their Rejoycing was even in This that they were counted worthy to suffer and to suffer the publick Shame as well as the Torments of being Beaten for their adhaerence unto the Name of the Lord JESUS CHRIST Vicious Pretenders to Religion who are a Disgrace to Christianity are not worthy to suffer for it But those persecuted Apostles were of such wonderful great Worth that the Comforter from Heaven was not only with them but within their Hearts also The nearest to them that was possible when all the Comforts of the World stood farthest off and who was able to make them able not only to support but even to smile on their Afflictions Not only to endure but over and above to enjoy their Sufferings So we read of the Thessalonians that they had received the Word of God in much Affliction and Ioy of the Holy Ghost The Holy Ghost being their Comforter reconciled their Joy with their Afflictions It was by the Holy Spirit of God that they Rejoyced with Ioy unspeakable And therefore Ioy is worthily reckon'd among the Fruits of the Spirit in special manner The Fruits of the Spirit are very many but Love and Ioy are the two First because he is eminently the Spirit of Love and Comfort §. XXI And now I have Answer'd the whole Objection of the most Sensual Apolausticks prov'd it the possible and the lawful and laudable Practice of a true Christian in the most terrible Cross of CHRIST to be still Rejoycing I have shew'd that God Alone is the Paraclete or Comforter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That He is the Wonderful Reconciler of Ioy and Sorrow That Ioy is one of those Fruits of the Blessed Spirit deeply Rooted in the Heart of a True Believer that nothing can be more Orthodox than this Paradox of the Worldling that 't is the Duty and the Reward and the high Priviledge of a True Christian when all the rest of Mankind are Swallowed up in the Deepest Mourning to rejoyce evermore and in all Conditions Which God the Father of his Goodness give us Ability to perform for the Merits of God the Son and by the Powerful Operation of God the Holy Ghost Unto which Blessed and Glorious Trinity One Individual Invisible and Indivisible Lord God be All Honour and Adoration both now and for ever FINIS Luke 18. 1. 1 Thess. 5. 17. Ver. 16. Ver. 18. Sen. Ep. 13. Acts 24. 16. Luke 6. 25. Rom 14. 17. * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Coloss. 1. 24. Hebr. 2. 10. Phil. 4. 11. * Sub Phaedonis initium apud Aug. Mascard Diss. 2. p. 22 23 24. Et in suo Charidemo Prolusio Ethic. 3. p. 4. 6. Psal. 94. 19. Phil. 4. 11 12. Phil. 4. 13. Phil. 2. 12 13. 2 Tim. 1. 6. 2 Cor. 6. 1. Heb. 11. 6. Rom. 7. 12. Acts. 21. 14. Mat. 26. 38. 1 Sam. 3. 11. 18. 2 Kings 20. 19. Job 13. 15. 2 Cor. 9. 15. James 1. 17. Rom. 14. 17. Phil. 3. 8. 1 John 3. 3. * Rom. 6. 17. Compare Heb. xi with Acts. 9. 31. Rom. 8. 28. 1 Pet. 2. 19 20. Joh. 14. 16. Acts. 5. 40 41. 1 Thess. 1. 6. 1 Pet. 1. 8. Gal. 5. * 1 Cor. 10. 13.