Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A90885
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A sermon preached in the Colledge Church of St. Katharin's, Februaey [sic] the 13th 1698. / By Josia Povey, Brother and Minister there.
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Povey, Josia.
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1698
(1698)
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Wing P3041; ESTC R181978
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14,064
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32
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Possessions and Delights of the Sons of Men could carrouse it continually with Belshazar in full Bouls yet all these or the highest degrees of Luxury could not desend the most daring Belshazar from the Sting of a Tormented Conscience for in the midst of Laughter the Soul and the Heart too if Wicked will be sad then all the Jewels in Sauls Crown cannot Comfort or create a chalm within For if a Man have a defiled Conscience tho he were deckt with Majesty and arrayed with Beauty and Honour tho he wash his Paths with Butter and the Rocks power him out Rivers of Oyle tho he purchase a confluence of all created beings and could leave tokens of his pleasure in every place Were he the Universal Governour of the Ocean and could not only Trace but Control and Command the Motions of the Sun and Stars yet the Restless and Ambitious Curiosity of his Soul would aspire beyond the highest Heavens prye after some unreveal'd Excellency some absconded Felicity which the whole extent of this finite Material World with all her perfections could in no ways afford there being an inherent Insufficiency riveted in the very Essence of Sublunary beings that we can never allay our thirst at these Puddles of Egypt but if wee 'd be satisfied we must be undefiled and so soar aloft to the Cysterns of the Coelestial Canaan For that nothing can Extinguish the thirst of a mans Soul but the Waters of the Well of Life and the unfathomable Sea of the comforts of another World And those that hope for happiness in any Worldly fruitions without walking in the way of the Lord O! how is their Ignorance to be pittied O! with what compassionate Tears shou'd that Carnal state of man be lamented by all that understand the worth of a Soul What hart doth not bleed for miserable man that is perpetually mockt with Shadows cheated with false delusive appearances infatuated and betrayed by their own Senses whilst they rise up early and lye down late to seek rest in trouble and life in death that run away from true Blessedness whilst they pretend to pursue it Descend patiently to the Chambers of Death and Dream of nothing but an Earthly Paradice till they are amidst the infernal Regions Now if their Circumstances are thus to be Lamented that hope for happiness in Riches Honours c. or a Concurrence of all these then sure it concerns all to enquire what will make them blest and happy My second General propos'd True happiness consists in being invested with as good a state and condition as our Natures are capable of receiving but since the united sufficiencies of all created beings are not enough to satisfie our boundless desires and to make us truly and for ever perfect and happy The Soul of man being unsatiable in its appetite as its immortal by nature It only remains then that our aspirings must terninate in an infinite and eternal being in acquaintance and Fellowship with God the fountain of all Blessedness who alone being infinite is able to fill the Soul of man which is Immortal and therefore we may be assured that true happiness can consist in nothing else but a Regenerate state in a devout contemplation of God in being a Child of his an heir of Salvation in supernatural Grace and the blessed consequents thereof These are the Sources and Fountains of all happiness these the parents of Joy and Peace those Rich and mighty Cordials that raise Nature make all Purity all Glory lay all Storms compose all Mutinies in our Bosoms extinguish Troubles prevent Fears such a one can commune with his own Heart without uneasiness reflect on 's Actions without regret is ever raised above Malencholy being continually cherisht by Coelestial influences and ever incircled in Gods Love These are the never failing Fountains that perpetually feed and supply those Rivers of endless and unspeakable Blessings these are the Springs which for ever maintain that Ocean of Infinite and Eternal joys these are those inestimable Jewels which whosoever is securely possest of his heart is so fil'd with love and admiration that for ever he imploys his dearest and most noble thoughts on them ever sixing his Eyes and uniteing his heart to God the supreme Good And now Secondly The way to compas this Blessed state our dearest Redeemer tells us in his Sermon on the Mount Mat. 5th also the Patriarches Prophets Apostles and wisest of Mortals from their own experience assure us that there is no Happiness without Holyness Therefore they passionately excite us to elevate our affections above these contemptible vanities and Fallacious Ideas and to esteem them as Dross in comparison of those sublimated Excellencies which are at Gods Right Hand and if any ever hope to be happy here or hereafter he must be Innocent Charitable Humble Harmless and Honest he must love Righteousness and hate any thing that is foul or ill he must have a heart first fixt on Heavenly things and subservient to these the necessary affaires of his honest and lawful occupation And thus let the way of the Lord be your path then doubt not of being Blessed for his Graces will enliven you his Blessed Spirit will be your guide his Holy Angels your guard his Word your Light and Blessedness your end for Blessed are the undefiled in the way that walk in the Law of the Lord. Which leads me to my third proposed to tell you what it is to be undefiled and when we may be esteemed so First To be Undefiled is to practice the precepts in the 15th Psalm and to continue in a general and sincere course of Piety and Charity St. James in his first Chap. and last Verse tells you That pure Religion and undefil'd before God is to visit the Fatherless and Widow in their affliction and to keep your selves unspoted from the World You 'l answer we may visit the Fatherless and Widdow but we cannot be unspoted Its own'd that we cannot wholly put of the Rags of Corruption till we wholly put on the Roabes of Righteousness for that this Heredetary Corruption Sin will stick to our Flesh tho we wash this Ethiope with all our Hysop it will be black tho we rub this Leopard with all our Nitre it will have some spots The flesh will be a Solicitous Dalilah about us and within us will Sojourn in our Mesec and dwell in our Tents of Kedar for while we are in this Village where our Martha dwells our affections will have a tast of Earth we may correct our Corruptions but cannot wholly destroy them we may and must be without blame as to gross Inniquities but cannot be without blemish as to sinful Infirmities till we pass this Egypt and arrive at the Coelestial Canaan for there and there only are the Spirits of Just men made perfect and undefiled God never had but one Son here without Sin Except him the best of Saints have been subject to it and are Enjoin'd to confess their daily