Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A50858
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A beame of light darted thorough [sic] the clouds, or, Truth breaking forth from under a veil by Joshua Miller.
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Miller, Joshua, 17th cent.
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1650
(1650)
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Wing M2062; ESTC R35047
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30,283
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75
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but a legall afrightment for sin These promises are only to testifie Gods bowells of compassion to such as well as others and from his mercy calls them to believe in him meaning as I candidly interpret it that unlesse God calls them they wil stil be mourning and think they are not qualified sufficiently for him and therfore God manifests his love towards them 2. Ans But secondly I answer if the Gospell must be preached only to such upon conditions then I ask how can it be a free Gospell which notes it comes without any such conditions to be performed by us And further how can a man follow Christs command to preach the Gospell to every creature if qualification in any sense must go before Paul teacheth us another lesson Tim. 1.15 This is a faithfull saying Christ came to save sinners of whom I am chief he saith not if they are humbled but calls to sinners indefinitely qua sinners Christ comes to give us faith that we may be humbled Qu. But may not repentance then be preached yea in its proper place as a fruit of faith I would have all that go under that noble title of Preachers of the Gospell to consider Pauls speech to the Corinthians 2 Cor. 5.20 Now then we are Embassadours in Christs stead as though God did beseech you in us We pray you in Christs stead be ye reconciled to God That is to say we speak in love to you that through love you may receive and believe that testimony which God hath given of his Son and what is this testimony but to believe that record that God is a Father to us in Christ I might mention divers other places where Faith is first laid down as Acts 8.37 where Philip said to the Eunuch If thou believest with all thy heart thou mayest so Joh. 6.29 when they asked what they should do to be saved why Christ answers This is the work of God that you believe on him whom he hath sent To end this question with that place in Acts 5.21 Him hath God the Father exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance and remission of sins this is plain Christ gives repentance but how through faith Therefore Christ must first be discovered according to the whole tenor of the Gospell CHAP. III. What Prayer is THe glory of man is to understand truth distinctly without confusion Prayer in generall is the going out of the heart to God from a divine discovery of a greater good then man hath yet attained Men cannot pray for that which they apprehend no need of emptinesse is the womb that produceth Prayer and as fire is the cause of heat so the sense of a want of God draweth forth the spirit to cry after him Before Adam fell there was no necessity of Prayer for he wanted nothing neither do I conceive if Adam had stood Prayer had ever sprung forth so that we weare it as a badge of our imperfection in this life Qu. Whether it be the externall voice that makes Prayer some think that no man can be said to pray unlesse he speake with his tongue Answ I answer That the externall delivery of words cannot be a substantiall part of Prayer for if it be then I may teach a a Parrot to pray but thus far I acknowledge that it is the outward forme and that which God hath instituted to be amongst men for no man can say I pray unlesse there be utterance and in outward expressions another Saint judgeth of my heart so that as to outward appearance no man can demonstrate anothers praying but from the heart to the tongue But let us take heed of confining prayer onely to a way of utterance for I prove that a Christian may pray and never speak a word as in Rom. 8.26 The Spirit helps our infirmities with sighs and groans unutterable Sure then the tongue cannot manifest what is in a Christian many times when he prayes for these sighs and groans are the immediate goings out of the heart which there is a want in words to expresse Further the Spirit saith Pray alwaies sine intermissione 1 Thes 5.17 Without any ceasing for so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies now no man can verbally pray alwayes for if so then he could have no oportunity to do any other exercise If it substantially consist in voice how then shall a dumb man pray some were born tongue-tied yet I hope no man wil say they may not pray so likewise I would ask how many or how few words make a prayer if properly that be any thing as to the substance what made the Publicans saying God be mercifull to me a sinner there were but six words was it not his heart that made it a Prayer yea sure Put I conclude this with Hannahs Prayer I Sam. 1.12 When she praved Eli marked her mouth now Hannah spake in her heart only her lips moved he thought she had not prayed because he heard not her voice but the Spirit saith she prayed alas many are not able to speak words as other men can shall we conclude upon that that they may not pray God doth not so much respect what words he utters but with what heart he cries to him therefore let none justle out one truth with another for a Prayer is demonstrated both wayes yet I say he that hath the spirit of prayer will use both and let no Professor judge prayer only in outward appearance as the world doth but judge righteous judgement This I hint at onely for the comfort of some Christians that want words to expresse their heart CHAP. IV. Whether a justified person may pray for the pardon of sin THis question not rightly understood makes a difference of judgements amongst men some saying we ought to pray for pardon others we ought not And it may seem strange that one justified pardoned should after this pray for pardon of those sins that are already pardoned this may suppose Christ hath not fully satisfied so then the question will be whether we may pray for pardon of such sins as are done away by Christs death For I say this is undeniably true that the Father is fully satisfied for all the sinnes of those which believe on him To understand this then I understand pardon with this distinction that there is a two-fold praying for the pardon of sin The one is as to a Judge The other is as to a Father Now the right apprehending these two will resolve the scruples 1. First then as to a Judge I may after the manner of men give this allusion God sits as a Judge upon the Bench to execute Malefactors Now for a believer to pray unto God for pardon under this notion is not according to truth for I am not now to suppose God sits as a Judge to me and so pray this is only for unbelievers as I may demonstrate it by this instance The Judge that sits in the seat of Judicature hath many
conceives pleasant Divine joy moves in the same manner as earthly joy doth but onely pitcht upon a higher object These two wayes divine joy manifests it self to us First union is the principall conduit-pipe through which this joy proceeds A soul united to the Lord hath all from him What an ocean of joy coms into the soul with that appropriating title God is mine For all true joy flowes as naturally from this as the river runs from the Sea and indeed the cause of mans misery in earth ariseth from a not-knowing himself united to the Lord by one Spirit for this union is much more glorious then any relation on earth and carries all sweetnesse and delight with it The knot of union is tied so strong by divine love that what ever is Gods pleasure can never be a Saints paine propriety gives life to a cause when a soul can say God and all in him is mine and for me what joy do you think it will produce Then secondly possession adds much to a divine joy thus faith doth give the soul a possession of him who possesseth all things untill a man hath possession in his own lands he can never fully rejoyce for this aggravates my joy when I have so much as at my command Good old Simeon when he had imbraced Christ in the arms of faith then for joy desired to die that he might fully possesse him Thus a soul when injoying Christ in the arms of faith his sorrowes are gone what joy was there for the lost Prodigall when he was come to his Fathers house As in outward delights those of incorporation are better then those of adhesion so inward joyes they are strongest because they proceed from a fruition of good not a speculative apprehension Now God is such an infinite eternall good that the soul is united to him joy by this dilates and opens the heart whence it is called Latitia which signifies joy to be a spreading passion for the object is so universally good and sweet that divine joy cannot be bound but runs out freely to this glorious object and there can be no locking up of divine joy but it runs forth as the father to meet the lost Prodigall The nature of this joy as one saith is like the water of Esculapius his well which is not capable of putrifaction This I am sure of where the soule joyes in God there can no poison mix with it and there can be no excesse in this delight for heaven is its proper title which signifies a Kingdome of Joy At thy right hand are pleasures for evermore Now the excellency of divine joy further appears in two things 1. First it beholds life in eternity for in all naturall things joy doth arise from some kind of life or motion Eternall life is the womb of divine joy that first brought it forth and is the nurse that feeds it and strengthens it Therefore when the soule rightly understands that it shall live with the Lord the spirit is exalted to satiate it self upon life on the contrary take a man that knowes not this life for the most part when he comes to die he is sad despairing for death naturally produceth sorrow as life doth joy Therefore there shall be more joy in heaven at the conversion of one sinner then of ninety nine that need no repentance to intimate unto us that the joy of a dead man raised to life is much increased by the difficulties it met with in conquering death 2. Secondly Divine joy transports the soul beyond a fear of suffering nay the soul thus set upon glory rejoyceth in tribulation it selfe Col. 1.11 Therefore the Saints of old rejoyced that they were counted worthy to suffer Now affliction is an evill not to be desired yet considering the event all sufferings that they make way for a greater glory thus a Saint in divine joy sees to the end of all sufferings And as a woman in travail forgets her pains for joy that a man-child is born into the world so divine joyes snatches up the soule above all earthly burthens As some Martyrs sung in the fire M. Philpot said the world wonders how we can be so merry in such misery but they consider not that God turneth our miseries into felicitie So Vincentius laughing at the tortures laid upon him said they were his Jocularia Ludicra matters of sport and pastine to him Now another reason why Saints joy in suffering is Christ went as a patterne before us Heb. 12.2 Who for the joy that was set before him indured the Crosse despised the shame Old Latimer tells us that it 's the greatest promotion God gives in this world thus a soul in divine joy calls death no more Marah but Naomi A man in heavenly joy we may ask him quid agis but may as well draw in all the breath of the world as tell what a Saint is about not that there is want of words but want in words to expresse it Therefore it is called unspeakable joy 1 Pet. 1.8 not but that we may speak of it but we cannot describe the dimensions of this joy Thus far of the nature of divine joy An incouragement to joy in the Lord. AS a bird while prisoned in a cage sings little and dolefully but when set at liberty in the open aire it sings sweetly so a Saint is in a cage of an uncleane world where his joy is but sparkling but when in the open aire of Gods sweet Kingdome then the soule will sing sweetly as the singers of Israel Rejoyce then in hope O my soule let thy winter seasons be past over with delight For thy summer is nigh Art thou afraid of death Look into the land of the living and tell me is not death swallowed up in victory Art thou afraid of men why behold Collos 3.3 thy life is hid with Christ in God lock'd up as a Jewell in a Casket Art thou afraid of finne doth that hinder joy The sting of death which is sinne is taken away Christ hath fully satisfied the father for thee death is but life growing out of it sorrow is joy in its seed budding forth sufferings are but so many lesser Crownes breaking forth into greater glories Why should not a Saint rejoyce in all states look on thy Saviour hast thou not cause to joy in him While I thus beheld the God of Love alas what 's the world to me In its smiles frownes deaths contradictions I compare it thus It is as a picture drawne out by a curious Artist where it is not one colour makes the image comely but all the colours the black as well as the white line the red as well as the blew that makes it delectable Thus all in the world is but a connexion of colours take all together they make a sweet harmony then O soul rejoyce and know that all things work for thy good the dark part as well as the bright part of things whilest thy joy is in the Lord then in every thing thou meetest with thou meetest with a pleasure for thy God doth all things well delight thy heart in the Lord if Satan hurt thy soule vvith his bloud-hounds fly to the rock of Gods love thou art safe fly in all thy distresse by this wing of love to love A Saint filled vvith joy flies to heaven aforehand and hath the svveet fellowship of Gods Angells spirits of just men in this blessed work of joy Paul was thus rapt up to the third heaven O the sweet glorious divine everlasting surpassing viveficating soul-filling spirit-strengthning unknown yet well known joys of glory thy joy O earth is but as the crackling of thorns thou art drossy frothy frenzy in thy joy all thine is but imaginary conceited joy A Christian sees that every thing is but borrowed in the world time will challenge all suddenly the great man rich man noble man voluptuous man covetous man time will challenge you all then whose are your honours riches pleasure profits all die with you but blessed are such as partake of divine Joys I onely can point at this joy but cannot paint it out to you Therefore rejoyce in the Lord alway and again I say rejoyce Phil. 4.4 FINIS