Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A58035
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The morning seeker, shewing the benefit of being good betimes with directions to make sure work about early religion, laid open in several sermons / by John Ryther.
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Ryther, John, 1634?-1681.
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1673
(1673)
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Wing R2441; ESTC R10584
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92,848
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250
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an easie yoke by giving them to see a difference betwixt this yoke and the yoke of Satan And now sayes the poor Soul the yoke of Satan would have prest me down to Hell I should have drawn my self damned in the Devils yoke and O now how heavy do I feel it My sins are gone over my head as a burden yea as too heavy a burden for me to bear O now when a poor sinner compares yokes and burdens O how easie doth Christ's yoke become 4. The Lord Jesus Christ doth encourage young Seekers by giving them hearts to wait upon him and sweetly and secretly renewing their strength in waiting on him While there is a waiting Spirit there is encouragement this was the great encouragement of Jacob's Soul a wrestling frame was kept up in him Where-ever a Soul continues a waiter and wrestler there is hope it will come off conquerour therefore we read of that blessed Promise Isa 40.30 31. The youths shall faint and the young men shall utterly fall but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength strength comes in upon your waiting You young waiters he will not let you wait upon him for nothing if your hands wax weak he will strengthen them there shall be a secret invisible strength sent in that shall still keep you waiting O but may Souls say we shall be weary after a while for all this O no poor Souls you shall run and not be weary walk and not faint a poor young runner shall hold on and hold out That word in the Psalms is of the like comfort Psal 27. ult to waiters Wait on the Lord and be of good courage and he shall strengthen thy heart I say wait on the Lord. O but sayes the poor Soul I am discouraged I know not what to do I shall sink under them wait on the Lord and what then the Lord will strengthen thee in waiting against all thy temptations both within and without the Lord is good to them that wait for him and thou shalt find it so 5. The Lord doth encourage the souls of young Seekers by giving them tastes of his love for many times at first conversion he gives more of it than he doth afterwards this is to encourage Souls and draw them on more to love him and seek him and follow after him When the Prodigal came newly home at his first return O how he treated him Bring forth the best robe and put it on him and a ring on his hand and shooes on his feet If the Lord should not give young Seekers some sweet tastes of his love they would be discouraged in seeking after him But now they that taste how good and gracious the Lord is they come unto him 6. The Lord Jesus doth encourage the Souls of young Seekers by passing by and pardoning their infirmities in their approaches to him and graciously accepting and owning what is his There is something of Gods and something of their own in every duty and a great deal of their own to a little of Christs a great deal of dross to a little silver a great deal of water to a little wine and O sayes the poor young Seeker I am discouraged will the Lord accept of such an offering as this If thou shouldst offer this to thy Governour would he accept of it O poor Soul see what he sayes I have eaten my honey with my honey comb not only the honey but the comb because of the dross he doth not refuse all he knows how to separate the comb from the dross the infirmities of a duty from any thing of the spirit in a duty he will pick out what is his own and pardon what is thine 7. The Lord Jesus doth encourage the Souls of young Seekers by helping them to believe the precious Promises made to them There are not more precious Promises made to any sort of sinners or sort of people than to young Seekers after Christ. Is not this a precious Promise in the Text Of all persons you shall not be disappointed you shall seek and find â—â—â— 40.11 He shall carry the Lambs in his bosome and gather them with his arm and shall gently lead them that are with young O what a Soul-reviving-Promise is this are not Lambs weak creatures but in his bosome shall they get both warmth and strength The old Proverb shall not hold in this case The weakest go by the walls if they cannot go he can carry them and not carry them on his back but in his bosome which is the easiest carriage and the safest carriage O what a sweet shepherd is this that nourishes his Lambs in his bosome And is not that also a rich and glorious Promise A bruised Reed shall he not break nor shall he quench the smoaking flax until he bring judgement unto victory O poor Soul can there be greater encouragements than in this Promise What is a weaker thing than a bruised Reed what is a poorer thing than smoaking flax soon extinguished soon trodden out but the Lord will make weak ones strong weak Grace shall be victorious Grace thou art a poor weak worm it may be the Lord chooses things that are not to confound things that are 8. The Lord encourages such as are young Seekers of him by watering the buddings of his own Grace in their Souls Grace is so tender a plant that it will live in no soyle where it is not well watered it cannot be in any soyle but it must be watered He takes notice of the buddings of the Pomegranate or the opening of it When a poor soul begins first in its openings to desire after Jesus Christ in its faith in its love to Christ O then these are watered with precious quickning influences from above which makes them spring up and grow apace he breaths upon his young plants Blow O south mind that the spices may flow out these breathings are influences from the Spirit 1. Reason why the Lord Jesus Christ doth encourage young Seekers because in their first setting out to seek Christ they meet with most temptations O now when Satan is like to lose his prey how doth this greedy Lion roar when he sees he is like to be disappointed how doth he follow the Soul with wrath and rage Now the greater the rage of Satan is against poor Souls the more bowels hath Christ yearning towards them as it is his great office to succour those that are tempted When Christ was born in Jerusalem there was a great uproar O poor Soul thou wondrest what is the matter there is an uproar a tumult in thy own Spirit a combate within and thou begin'st to be restless in Spirit look'st up to God in this condition O what if Christ be forming in thy soul There are two things make Satan bestir himself against morning Seekers 1. It is his envy he is the envious one he envies the good and happiness of every poor Soul therefore he pursues thee
God say to them Jer. 4.18 These things have your own wayes and doings procured unto you O then will not every poor guilty Soul cry out O! O my self was the cause of all these O how often did Christ wooe me invite me call on me beseech me to be reconciled to him but wretch that I was hard hearted wretch that I was I had no room for him my heart was shut against him I shut him out of my heart and now for ever I must justify him for shutting me out of his Heaven 5. It informs us what a great evil it is to put off Christ when he is willing to be found O how many say of Christ and to Christ as he did to Paul Come at a more convenient time and I will hear thee They are too busie with the world they have no leisure no time and they desire to be excused O what if the Lord say to such as he did to them They shall not taste of his Supper O Sinners do you think Christ will be thus dallied with to say to morrow to morrow and Christs voice is to day to day Do you think Christ can be mocked or deceived It is true the Gospel is called the word of his Patience but do you think it is impossible to weary his Patience Do not we read the Prophet complaining of the Jews You have wearied man and will you weary God also Isa 7.13 O Sinner dost thou know what thou doest to delay thy striking in with Christ What if God take thee at thy word when thou sayest Depart from me for as yet I desire not the knowledge of thy wayes What if God should resolve as Moses said to Pharaoh I will never see thy face more Where wert thou then and what a sad condition would thy poor Soul be in then 2. Vse Is it so that poor Souls should observe Christs times in which he is willing to be found then it is a word of Reproof to such as put off Christ that observe not these times May not the case be expostulated with such poor Souls as God did with the people of Israel by the Prophet Ezekiel why will you dye O house of Israel O poor Sinners why do you neglect such great salvation why do you dally and delay in a business of infinite moment and eternal consequence Is the salvation of an immortal Soul a jesting matter are Heaven and Christ indifferences O why then poor Souls should ye not arise from your sloth and shake your selves and resolve to have a Christ how dearly soever you come by him May not Christ say to poor Sinners that loyter in their motion Heaven-ward as was said to them why stand you idle all the day long 1. Are not such poor Souls to be reproved This is the highest ingratitude and unthankfulness in the world that Christ should make offers and be willing to be found and you put a slight upon him and you not observe them Is this your kindness to your friend Will you thus requite the Lord O foolish people and unwise 2. Are not such Souls to be reproved This speaks great infidelity and unbelief Is not this the reason why Christ and poor sinners make not a closure they do not believe he is willing to receive them to embrace them to pardon them This cross-iron bolt and bar of unbelief lies betwixt Christ and a poor Soul and was it not this that grieved Christ He was grieved because of their unbelief and hardness of their heart Their Souls were doubly bolted against the Lord Jesus O poor sinners after all Christ hath promised all he hath suffered all he hath done that you should slight Christ when he is willing to be found of you is not this sad 3. Are not such to be reproved You will observe times for your worldly secular advantages you will observe a Summer season to go into the Countrey for the air if your bodies need it you will observe times to take physick in you will observe your winds to sail in you will observe your marts and fairs you will observe your Change-time and all this for your outward advantage and alas you neglect your especial times and seasons for your Souls All these things are but your outward concernments but there are things that concern the peace of your immortal Souls and how do you look after them 3. Vse Is it so that the Lords finding times ought to be observed by poor Sinners Then it is a word of exhortation to poor Sinners that they would take especial notice of such times that it may not be said of you as is said in that case Job speaks The Lord passed by on my left hand and on my right hand and I perceived him not For God to be near a poor Soul in an Ordinance in a motion of the Spirit and the Soul see him not for the eyes of the Soul to be held that it knows him not O how sad is this O delay not to lay hold of Christ at such times 1. Your delayes will provoke and displease Christ Christ loves that Souls should close with him without delays We read of some that delayed the matter and fell to framing excuses and the Lord was angry with them and said They should not taste of his Supper The Spouses delay to open to Christ so displeased him that he did withdraw from her and she paid dearly for her delay Now did he stand waiting untill his locks were filled with the drops of the night 2. Your delays are dishonourable to Christ They dishonour him as though he were not to be trusted when he calls for Souls to close with him to open to him immediately as though there were no great danger as though it were but a dallying jesting matter and you could do it when you would even at your leisure 3. Your delayes will prove dangerous to your own Souls We say there is danger in delay and O how true is that in Soul cases What if God shut up his bowels in displeasure What if he will be gracious no more in visiting you in breathing upon you in knocking at your doors What if the Lord do withdraw from you and say he will wait no more upon you strive no more with you but pass that Sentence upon you Let them alone let them wander like a Lamb in a large place O poor Sinners you are in danger of all this and much more by your delayes to observe Christs times of being willing to be found 4. Your delayes will make your falling in with Christs finding times a great deal more difficult Yea every day it will be more difficult than other Sin and corruption will grow stronger Satans temptations will be more violent The longer a Soul is held in a snare the faster it is 1. It will be more difficult you will have fewer motions of the Spirit to call you out and thrust you out to close with Christ Delay to answer the Spirits