Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
spirit_n	grace_n	pray_v	prayer_n	8,057	5	6.5536	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81214	The nature, solemnity, grounds, property, and benefits, of a sacred covenant. Together with the duties of those who enter into such a covenant. Delivered in a sermon at Westminster, at the publique convention, (ordered by the Honourable House of Commons) for the taking of the Covenant, by all such, of all degrees, as willingly presented themselves, upon Friday, Octob. 6. 1643. By Ioseph Caryl, preacher to the Honourable Society of Lincolnes-Inne.	Caryl, Joseph, 1602-1673.	1643 (1643)	Wing C782; Thomason E72_12; ESTC R14164	28,363	50

strength our brethren of Scotland have in a plentifull experience found it so already This Covenant through the blessing of God upon their counsels and endeavours hath beene their Sampsons Locke the thing in fight wherein their strength lieth And why should not we hope that it will be ours if we can be wise as they to prevent or overcome the flattering enticements of those Dalilahs who would lull us asleepe in their laps onely for an opportunity to cut or shave it off Then indeed which God forbid we should be but weake like other men yea weaker then our selves were before this Locke was growne having but the strength of man God utterly departing from us for our falsenesse and unfaithfulnesse in this Covenant Thirdly this Covenant observed will make us an holy people and then we cannot be an unhappy people That which promotes personall holinesse must needs promote Nationall holinesse The consideration that we are in the bonds of a Covenant is both a bridle to stop us from sinne and a spurre to duty When we provoke God to bring evill upon us he stayes his hand by considering his Covenant I will remember my Covenant saith the Lord Gen. 9. 15. which is betweene me and you and every living creature of all flesh and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh As if the Lord had said It is more then probable that I shall quickly see as much cause all flesh corrupting all their wayes before me to drowne the world with a second deluge as I did for the first the foulnesse of the world will quickly call for another washing But I am resolved never to destroy it by water againe for I will remember my Covenant Hence also in the second booke of the Chronicles chap. 21. where the reigne and sinnes of Jehoram are recorded such sinnes as might justly put a sword into the hand of God to cut him off root and branch Howbeit saith the Text vers 7. the Lord would not destroy the house of David because of the Covenant that he had made with David and as he promised to give a light to him to his sons for ever Now as the remembrance of the Covenant on his part stayes the hand of God from smiting so the remembrance of the Covenant on our part will be very effectuall to stay our hands and tongues and hearts from sinning A thought of that will dampe and silence our lusts and passions when they begin to move or quest within us it will also breake the blow of Satans temptations when hee assaults us The soule in such cases will answer True I am now as strongly tempted to sinne as ever I have now as faire an opportunity to commit this sinne as ever I could now be false to and desert this cause with as much advantage upon as faire hopes and promises as ever O but I am in Covenant I remember my Covenant I will not I cannot doe it and so he falls a praying against the temptation yea he begs prayers of others that he may be strengthned against and overcome it I read you an instance of this effect before the Sermon a paper is sent to this congregation containing this request One who through much passion oftentimes grievously offends the Majesty of God by cursing and swearing and that since his late taking the Covenant desires the prayers of this Congregation that his offence may be pardoned and that he may be enabled to overcome that temptation from hence forwards This is the tenour of that request to a letter and a tittle and therein you see how the remembrance of the Covenant wrought Probably this party whosoever he was took little notice of or was little troubled at the notice of these distempers in himselfe before least of all sought out for helpe against them And I have the rather inserted this to confute that scorne which I heare some have since put upon that conscientious desire As if one had complained that since his swearing to the Covenant he could not forbeare swearing and that this sacred Oath had taught him prophane ones But what holy thing is there which swine will not make mire of for themselves to wallow in I returne and I nothing doubt but that this Covenant wherein all is undertaken through the grace of Christ will make many more gracious who had grace before and turne others who were running on amain in the broad way from the evill and errour of their wayes into the way which is called Holy or into the wayes of Holinesse Every Act wherein we converse with an holy God hath an influence upon our spirits to make us holy The soule is made more holy in prayer though holinesse be not the particular matter of the prayer A man gets much of Heaven into his heart in praying for earthly things if he pray in a spirituall manner And the reason is because in prayer he hath converse with and drawes nigh to God whatsoever lawfull thing he prayes about And the same reason caries it in covenanting though it were only about the maintenance of our outward Estates and liberties forasmuch as therein we have to doe with God How much more then will holinesse be encreased through this Covenant which in many branches of it is a direct Covenant for and about holinesse And if we improve it home to this purpose for the subduing of those mysticall Canaanites those worst and indeed most formidable enemies our sinfull lusts if we improve it for the obtaining of more grace and the making of us more holy though our visible Caananites should not only continue unsubdued by us but subdue us Though our Estates and Liberties should continue not only unrecovered but quite lost though we should neither bee a rich nor a free nor a victorious people yet if we are an holy people we have more then All these we have all he is ours who is All in All. So much of the first generall part of the application The second is for Admonition and Caution in three or foure particulars First take heed of prophaning this Covenant Mal. 2. 8. by an unholy life Remember you have made a Covenant with Heaven then doe not live as if you had made a Covenant with Hell or were come to an agreement with Death as the Prophet Isaiah characters those monsters of prophanesse c. 28. 15. Take heede also of corrupting this Covenant Mal. 2. 10. by an unholy glosse Woe be unto those glosses that corrupt the Text pervert the meaning of these words Who attempt to expound the Covenant by their own practice and will not regulate their practice by the Covenant The Apostle Peter speakes of Pauls writings that in them some things are hard to be understood which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest as they doe also the other Scriptures to their own destruction 2 Epist c. 3. v. 16. We may feare that though the Text of this Covenant be easy to be understood yet some

measure know not the cause and such as have no love at all to the cause should be outcasts from thu Covenant Such saplesse and rotten stuffe will but weaken if not corrupt this sacred band The Tenour of the covenant now tendered speakes thus respecting the persons We Noble-men Barons Knights Gentlemen Citizens Burgesses Ministers of the Gospell and Commons of all sorts in the Kingdome of England Scotland and Ireland c. And doth not this indistinctly admit all and all of all sorts I answer No. For the words following in the Preface shew expressely that onely they are called to it who are of one reformed Religion which shuts out all Papists till they returne And the Articles passe them through a finer Sieve admitting onely such as promise yea and sweare that through the grace of God they will sincerely really and constantly endeavour the preservation of the reformed religion against the common enemy in the one Kingdome the reformation and extirpation of what is amisse in the other two as also in their owne persons families and relations They who doe thus are choice persons indeed and they who sweare to doe thus are in charity and justice to be reputed so till their owne acts and omissions falsifie their oathes Thus our Covenant makes an equiualent though not a formall or nominall election of the persons Secondly there must be a choice of conditions in a Covenant As the persons obliged so the matter of the obligation must be distinct This is so eminent in the Covenant offered that I may spare my paines in the clearing of it every mans paines in reading of it cannot but satisfie him that there are six Nationall conditions about which we make solemne oath and one personall about which we make a most solemne profession and declaration before God and the world And all these are choyce conditions such as may well be held forth to be as indeed they are the results and issues of many prayers and serious consultations in both the Kingdomes of England and Scotland Conditions they are in which Holinesse and Wisdome Piety and Policie Zeale for God in purging his Church and Care for man in setling the Common-wealth appeare to have had in a due subordination their equall hand and share Thus much of a Covenant from the force of the word in the first sense leading us to the choice both of persons and conditions Secondly the root signifies to eat moderately or so much as breaks our Fast And this refers also to the nature of a Covenant which is to draw men into a friendly and holy communion and converse one with another David describes a familiar friend in whom he trusted to be one That did eat of his bread Psal 41. 9. And the Apostle Paul when he would have a scandalous brother denied all fellowship in Church-Covenant he charges it thus With such a one no not to eat 1 Cor. 5. 11. Hence it was a custome upon the making up of Covenants for the parties covenanting soberly to feast together when Isaac and Abimilech sware one to another and made a Covenant The sacred Story tells us that Isaac made them a feast and they did eat and drinke Gen. 26. 29 30. A Covenant is a binder of affection to assure it but it is a loosner of affection to expresse it And their hearts are most free to one another which are most bound to one another How unbecomming is it that they who sweare together should be so strange as scarce to speake together That which unites ought also to multiply our affections Further the word hints so to converse together as not to sinne together for it signifies Moderation in eating As if it would teach us That at a Covenant-Feast or when Covenanters feast they should have more grace then meat at their Tables or if through the blessing of God their meat be much their temperance should be more The Covenant yeelds us much businesse and calls to action Excesse soyles our gifts and damps our spirits fitting us for sleepe not for worke In and by this Covenant we who were almost carried into spirituall and corporall slavery are called to strive for the mastery Let us therefore as this word and the Apostles rule instruct us Be temperate in all things 1 Cor. 9. 25. Intemperate excessive eaters will be but moderate workers especially in Covenant worke A little will satisfie their Consciences who are given up to satisfie their carnall appetites And he who makes his belly his God will not make much of the glory of God So much concerning the nature of a Covenant from the originall word for a Covenant signifying both to chuse and to eate We may take in some further light to discover the things from the orginall word which we translate make Let us make a Covenant That word signifies properly to cut to strike or to slay 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The reason hereof is given because at the making of solemne Covenants beasts were killed and divided asunder and the Covenant-makers went between the parts When God made that first grand Covenant with Abraham he said unto him Take an heifer of three yeers old and a shee goat of three yeers old c. And he tooke unto him all these and divided them in the midst and laid those pieces one against another c. Gen. 15. 9 10. At the seventeenth verse Behold a smoaking furnace and a burning lamp which latter was the token of Gods presence for the deliverance of his people passed betweene those pieces In the 34. of Jeremy vers 18. we have the like ceremony in making a Covenant They cut the calfe in twaine and passed betweene the parts thereof Upon this usage the phrase is grounded of cutting or striking a Covenant Psal 50. 5. Psal 89. 3. which Ceremony had this signification in it That when they passed betweene those divided parts of the slaine beast the action spake this curse or imprecation * Foedus facientes primò furabant postea transibant inter partes pecudis quasi dicerent discindatur dividantur ejus membra fiat sicut pocus istud qui furamentam violaverit Let him be cut asunder let his members be divided let him be made as this beast who violates the Oath of this Covenant From these observations about the words we may be directed about the nature of the thing and thence collect this description of a Covenant A Covenant is a solemne compact or agreement betweene two chosen parties or more whereby with mutuall free and full consent they binde themselves upon select conditions tending to the glory of God and their common good A Covenant strictly considered is more then a promise and lesse than a Oath unlesse an Oath be joyned with it as was with that in the Text and is with this we have now before us A Covenant differs from a promise gradually and in the formalities of it not naturally or in the substance of it God made promises to

Abraham Gen. 12. and Gen. 13. but hee made no Covenant with him till Chap. 15. vers 18. In that day the Lord made a Covenant with Abraham And the worke of the Lord in that day with Abraham had not onely truth and mercy in it but state and majestie in it A Covenant day is a solemne day As the collection of many Stars makes a Constellation so the collection of many promises makes a Covenant Or as in the first of Genesis vers 10. The gathering together of the waters was by the Lord called Seas So wee may call the gathering together of promises or conditions a Covenant The Lord doth as it were r'ally all the promises of mercy made to us which lie scattered up and downe thorow the whole volume of the Scriptures and puts them together into a Covenant And we do as it were r'ally all the promises of duty which wee owe unto God and to one another and put them together in a Covenant Such a bundle of duty is tied up in this present Covenant what duty is there which we owe to God to his Churches or these Common-wealths whereof we make not promise either expresly or by consequence in the compasse of this Covenant And how great an obligation to duty doth this containe wherein there is an obligation to every duty Seeing then this Covenant being taken carries in it so great an obligation it calls for great preparation before we take it A sleightnesse of spirit in taking this Covenant must needs cause a sleightnesse of spirit in keeping it All solemne duties ought to have solemne preparations and this I thinke as solemne as any A Christian ought to set his heart as far as he can through the strength of Christ into a praying frame before he kneels downe to prayer And we ought to set our hearts in a promising frame before we stand up to make such mighty promises Take heed how ye heare is our Saviours admonition in the Gospel Surely then we had need take heed how we sweare Let a man examine himselfe saith the Apostle Paul and so let him eat of that bread and drinke of that cup let him come examin'd to the Sacrament so I may say Let a man examine himselfe before he lift up his hand or write downe his name let him come examin'd to the Covenant I shall briefly propose three heads of preparatory examination respecting our entrance into this Covenant First examine your hearts and your lives whether or no you are not preingaged in any Covenant contrary to the tenour and conditions of this Covenant If any such upon enquiry be found be sure you void it before you engage your selves in this A super-institution in this kinde is very dangerous Every man must looke to it that he takes this Covenant sede vacante or rather corde vacante with a heart emptied of all Covenants which are inconsistent with this For a man to covenant with Christ and his people for Reformation c. while he hath either taken a Covenant with others or made a Covenant in his owne breast against it is desperate wickednesse Or if upon a selfe-search you finde your selves cleare of any such ingagements yet search further Every man by nature is a Covenanter with Hell and with every sinne he is at Agreement be sure you revoke and cancell that Covenant before you subscribe this If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not heare me praying that is he will not regard my prayers saith David Psal 66. 18. And if we regard iniquity in our hearts the Lord will not heare us covenanting that is he will not regard our Covenant Woe bee unto those who make this league with God and his people while they resolve to continue their league with sin which is upon the matter a league with Satan God and Satan will never meet in one Covenant For what communion hath light with darknesse and what concord hath Christ with Belial Secondly before you enter into this Covenant with God consider of and repent for this speciall sinne your former breaches and failings in Gods Covenant We who were sometimes a far off Aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the Covenant of promise are made nigh by the blood of Jesus even so nigh as to be in Covenant with God Some who pretend to this priviledge will be found such as have counted the blood of the Covenant to be an unholy thing Heb. 10. 29. And where is the man that walketh so holily in this Covenant as becoms him and as it requires Labour therefore to have those breaches healed by a fresh sprinkling of the blood of Christ upon your consciences before you enter this Covenant If you put this new peece to an old garment the rent will be made worse If you put this new wine into old bottles the bottles will breake and all your expected comforts will run out and be lost If you should not feele and search your owne hearts without doubt the Lord will And if you be found as deceivers you will bring a curse upon your selves and not a blessing as Jacob spake in another case Gen. 27. 12. This is a Covenant of amity with God reconciliation must goe before friendship you can never make friendship till you have made peace nor settle love where hostility is unremoved Thirdly enquire diligently at your owne hearts whether they come up indeed to the tearmes of this Covenant You must bid high for the honour of a Covenanter for a part in this priviledge Which of you saith our Lord Christ to his hearers Luke 14. 28. intending to build a Tower sitteth not downe first and counteth the cost whether he have sufficient to finish it lest haply after he hath laid the foundation and is not able to finish it all that behold it begin to mocke him saying This man began to build and was not able to finish We are met this day to lay the foundation of one Tower and to pull up the foundation of another wee are pulling up the foundation of Babels Tower and we are laying a foundation for Sions Tower We have seene some who have heretofore done as much but they have done no more when they had laid a foundation for those noble works in taking a solemne Oath and Covenant they have never moved a hand after either to build or to pull downe unlesse it were quite crosse to their owne ingagements for the pulling downe of Sions Tower and the building of Babylone And what was the reason of this stand or contrary motion This surely was one they did not gage their own hearts before hand neither did they sit downe to count the cost of such an undertaking And therefore when they perceived the charge to arise so high they neither could finish nor would they endeavour it but left the worke before it lookt above the ground and are justly become a mock and a scorn and a reproach in Israel These they are the