Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	good_a	heart_n	work_n	6,984	5	5.3450	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A92760	A sermon preached before the Religious Societies in the city of Dublin, on the 29th of Septemb. 1695 Together with the method to be observed by them at their meetings, and the laws of their Society, with the 39 Articles of the Church of Ireland, By B. Scroggs, D.D.	Scroggs, Benedict, 1657 or 8-1696.	1695 (1695)	Wing S2120; ESTC R229819	14,205	73

according as the time will permit 5. Then shall every man that is able give his Alms for the Poor and whilst this is doing the Prelector shall read as many of these following Sentences as he thinks convenient Let y●ur light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in ●eaven Mat. 5. 18. Lay not up for your selves treasures upon Earth where the rust and moth doth corrupt and where thieves break through steal but lay up for your selves treasures in Heaven where neither rust nor moth doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through and steal Mat. 6. 19 20. While we have time let us do good unto all men and especially unto the●● who are of the houshold of 〈…〉 l. 6. 10. God is not unri●●●eous that he will forget your ●orks and labour ●●at proceedeth of love which love ye have shewed for his names 〈◊〉 who have ministred to 〈◊〉 Saints and yet do minister Heb. 6. 10. To do good and to distribute forget not for with such sacrifices God is well pleased He. 13. 16 Be merciful after thy power if thou hast much give plenteously if thou hast little do thy diligence gladly to give of that little for so gatherest thou thy self a good reward in the day of necessity Tob 4. 8 9. He that hath pitty on the poor lendeth unto the Lord and look what 〈◊〉 ●ayeth out it shall be paid 〈◊〉 again Prov. 19. 17. Blessed 〈…〉 that provideth 〈…〉 needy the Lor●●hall deliver him in the time of trouble 〈◊〉 1. 1. When they have given their alms they shall 〈◊〉 while if they have time and discourse upon any pious subject that offers viz. what objects of Charity they know particularly such as have lived well hcretofore and what young men of their acquaintance may be gain'd over to a vertuous conversation and if there be any difficulty or case of Conscience necessary to be resolved or any religious affair to be settled let it be then propounded and calmly discoursed of After which let a Psalm be sung and after that let them all repeat the Apostles Creed standing and then let the Prelector conclude with these Collects every man kneeling C Assist us mercifully O Lord in these our supplications and Prayers and dispose the way of thy servants towards the attainment of everlasting salvation that among all the changes and chances of this mortal life they may ever be defended by thy most gracious and ready help thro Jesus Christ our Lord Amen O Almighty Lord and everlasting God vouchsafe we beseech thee to direct sanctify govern both our hearts and bodies in the ways of thy laws and in the works of thy Commandments that through thy most mighty protection both here ever we may be preserved both in body and soul through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Amen Blessed Lord who hast taught us that all our doings without Charity are nothing worth send thy Holy Ghost and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of Charity that we may love thee above all things and sincerely love our neighbour for thy sake and endeavor the benefit of his precious soul Make us ever more fearful of his danger than of his displeasure and more desirous of his good than of his favour Give us therefore Christian courage to reprove wisdom to advise councel to direct and prudence to know how and when and what to speak as we ought to do and O let a spirit of reformation be in us to put a stop to that profaness irreligion that reigns among us and do thou magnify thy power in the weakness of the instruments thou makest use of Give us clean and pure hearts and so strengthen our good resolutions with thy holy Spirit that we may never faint nor grow weary of the work we have undertaken And that it may be successful give us the spirit of Love and Peace and Unity that no differences may ever disturb us or hinder our design of teaching Sinners thy ways and drawing others to thy love that so when thou shalt come to gather thy Saints together we may be found an acceptable people in thy sight to whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all praise and glory now and for ever Awen O most holy and gracious Lord who in the holy Scriptures hast told us that tho we shou'd perform all that thou hast commanded we are still unprofitable Servants we prostrate our selves before thee with the lowest humility of soul and body acknowledging that we are but sinful dust and ashes and not only unprofitable but disobedient and ungrateful to thee and we beseech thee to inspire into our hearts such a sense of our own unworthiness that no success may make us high-minded no perfections of our own make us proud and conceited nor the sins of other men make us uncharitable and consorious that whilst we endeavour to bring others into the way of Piety and Religion we our selves may not be cast away O let us not boast with the Pharisee of our labours and services what-ever they shall be but rather with the Publican smite our breasts and say Lord be merciful to us sinners thro the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour Amen O GOD our Refuge and Strength who art the Author of all Godliness hear we beseech thee the devout Prayers of thy Servants and grant that those things which we have ask'd faithfully we may obtain effectually through Jesus Christ our Lord Amen The Lord bless us and keep us the Lord lift up his countenance upon us and give us Peace now and for evermore Amen A Prayer to be used before the last Collect by the Societies of Married men Taken out of the 91 Psalm O Almighty Lord under whose defence and shadow we and our Families do dwell in security We bless thy Name for all thy former mercies and we beseech thee to continue thy care and protection of us and all our concerns Thou art our hope and our strong hold and our God in whom we will trust O defend us under thy wings and let us be safe under thy feathers and let thy faithfulness and truth be our shield and buckler Let us not be afraid of any terror by night nor of the arrow that slieth by day nor the pestilence that walketh in darkness nor the sickness that destroyeth at noon-day Let no evil happen unto us nor any plague come nigh our dwellings and give thy Angels charge over us and our Families to keep us in all thy ways that after thou hast blest us with a good life in this world thou mayest shew us thy salvation in the world to come For the sake and merits of our Saviour Jesus Christ Amen Rules to be consented to and subscribed by such as desire to be Members of the Religious Societics in the Kingdom of Ireland 1. THE sole design of these Societies being to promote holiness of life 't is necessary

A SERMON Preached before The Religious Societies In the City of Dublin On the 29th of Septemb. 1695. Together with the method to be observed by them at their Meetings and the Laws of their Society with the 39 Articles of the Church of Ireland By B. Scroggs D. D. Dublin Printed for Jacob Milner and are to be Sold at his Shop over against the End of Essex-Bridge in Essex-street 1695 To the several Religious Societies in the Kingdom of Ireland Brethren I Have Publish'd this short Discourse according to your Request and if you are profited by it and encouraged to prosecute the Good Work you are engaged in I am not much concern'd what Censure the world may pass upon it I have also added the Laws and Method to be observ'd by all your Societies thro the whole Kingdom and have made a few alterations and such additions as you desired in the devotion used at your Meetings and if in any thing else I can serve you I shall neither spare my pains nor my prayers for you nor any charges as far as my abilities extend And now I must beg leave to put you in mind of a Duty which I have so Frequently and Earnestly urged and repeated heretofore that above all things you avoid all dissentions and divisions the fatal Rock upon which the noblest designs do so often split and miscarry and which has almost ruin'd Christianity it self against which no persecution nor malice of the Enemy cou'd ever prevail And therefore beware lest you receive any into your Societies that come for this end to disturb and distract you not out of ill-will to Religion in general but to the Establish't Church which by your examples is likely to be encreas'd as well as edified Avoid all disputes and then you cannot fall into any violence of passion and if you shou'd be angry you must stifle it in the beginning and never suffer it to proceed to a division or separation or a settled grudge or animosity between parties And to this end let every single man resolve to reconcile his Brethren when they are at difference and let all in general agree to put strictly in Execution that Law which you have for this purpose And may the Favorer and Protector of all good designs continue and encrease the success of your Endeavours and give you courage and prudence and perseverance and all the Graces that are necessary to carry on this great and blessed Undertaking This shall always be the Prayer of Your most Affectionate Brother and Humble Servant B. Scroggs Acts of the Apost 2 Chap. 42 Verse And they continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship and in Breaking of Bread and in Prayers THo I mention only this Verse for my Text yet my design is to take for my Subject all the manners and customs of the first best of all Christians described in this and the following Chapters by the Evangelist St. Luke and because my discourse is intended only for those societies of young men that have lately assembled themselves with design to imitate that primitive Zeal and Piety I shall take leave to speak only what 's proper to them and that also in a more plain and familiar way than is usal in this place All good men must be Transported with joy to see any thing in this wicked age like that Fervour and Life of Religion that ran thro the whole body of the Primitive Church It shou'd be as pleasant and surprizing as to find Life returning into the eyes and limbs of a dead friend and certainly if ever Christianity be recover'd it must be by such means as are now beginning to be used it must be by religious societies and combinations against the Enemy of our souls by which we warm and excite and encourage and direct one another and to think to do this by the zeal or prudence or the labours of single men is as great a folly as to expect the conquest of our temporal enemies by sending one man at a time to wage war with their whole armies I might insist long upon this subject in shewing the use and necessity of societies for the reducing of piety to its primitive vigour but at present t will be sufficient to justifie and recommend to all good men these particular societies from the practise of those Christians mention'd in my Text for tho they cannot equal 'em in that extraordinary degree of Piety nor imitate 'em in the miraculous power of the spirit yet it is plain that they resemble 'em in most other respects as I shall now prove by several instances 1st The Christians mention'd in my Text did often meet and converse together to improve one another in Piety and onflame each others Zeal and this I take to be the meaning of the word Fellowship in my Text not only the fellowship of the Apostles tho this must also be understood but fellowship with one another in their houses and in the absence of the Apostles For the number of the new Converts being then so great that at one Sermon no fewer than threethousand were converted it was impossible that the Apostles shou'd every day be present at every Congregation or Assembly in their houses And besides we have examples of such Meetings in the Scriptures where the people in the absence of the Clergy have met together in a private way for devotion and other holy ends as we find in the 12th Chapt. of the Acts where upon the disporsion and flight of the Apostles Peter came to the house of Mary and found there many Disciples gathered together for Prayer Now tho these Assemblles of Christians were in this unlike our Societies that the people in them were of all ages and sexes and conditions but here only men under certain qualifications are admitted yet their example will warrant and justise our practise and if one be lawful the other is at least as warrantable since the design and consequence of their meeting is the same as I shall shew it to be hereafter In the mean while we shall suppose 'em thus far to be like in their meeting together in houses for private Religious exercises And 2dly They are also like in respect of the time of their meeting which was chiefly upon the Lord's-Day This day was Consecrated at first by the Apostles and Primitive Christians assembling upon it for several religious ends and tho these Assemblies met daily and kept holy every day of the week and every day of their lives yet the day they kept most holy was the Lord's-Day as we read in the 20th of the Acts and the 7th verse Upon the first day of the week when the Disciples came together to break bread that is to receive the Sacrament In which place we may observe that the whole day was kept holy and spent in Religious exercises for St. Paul continued his preaching till it was midnight and tho this was more than ordinary because the Apostle was to